


Amour pour amour

by mrsjdots



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: AU, Adrien Agreste Needs a Hug, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - No Miraculous, Angst, Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Fluff, F/M, Protective Chat Noir, Protective Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Sabine is great, science experiment chat noir
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-11
Updated: 2019-04-05
Packaged: 2019-11-15 19:47:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 31,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18079808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrsjdots/pseuds/mrsjdots
Summary: Adrien is a sheltered science experiment and Marinette isn’t sure she wants to be involved.“In a secluded government facility there resided a monster. An abomination of nature, created in a laboratory from the offspring of man and something more sinister. Whether it was in an attempt to further our evolution or a result of stretching the bounds of possibility, funding was granted in the name of science and a creature was created 26 years ago that possessed abilities that surpass anything our world had ever seen before....”





	1. Chapter 1

In a secluded government facility there resided a monster. An abomination of nature, created in a laboratory from the offspring of man and something more sinister. Whether it was in an attempt to further our evolution or a result of stretching the bounds of possibility, funding was granted in the name of science and a creature was created 26 years ago that possessed abilities that surpass anything our world had ever seen before. 

•

Marinette’s recent assignment was exhilarating albeit terrifying. It was what anyone with her degree could hope for mixed with a little bit of science fiction. From  
what she could gather, it was the type of project only the heavy hitters of her department could dream of being assigned to. Her assignment, which up until a week ago to her knowledge was only a rumor whispered about on campus. A monster created and housed on site. Studied and documented. Although she had been a promising student in her field, up until this assignment she had been confined to a desk, but now she was going to get her hands dirty. 

After signing a stack of confidentiality paperwork swearing allegiance to her work above all else, she was briefed on the consequences of neglecting her sworn secrecy and handed additional access badges. 

A facility tour of the new areas her access badge granted her was given. Down a long hallway, she passed room after room of filing cabinets. Where her predecessors assignment research could be found filed away. 

Scanning a different badge, they entered a new corridor. Cameras were in the corners of every room blatantly on display. Through the windows in the doors, she could see people in lab coats surrounded by microscopes, computers, and other science equipment. A few rooms housed caged animals. 

Her third new badge was scanned at a windowless solid door concealing what was inside. In addition to the access badge, a code was input into a keypad. They stepped back and the doors mechanically opened. Revealing a small foyer with 4 doors. The first 2 doors were explained to house additional experiments that didn’t pertain to her and she did not have access to. The 3rd room opened with an additional code, it housed a viewing room with a table and chairs and a one way mirror that showed what was housed in a room between the 3rd and 4th room. 

Through the window she could see a room that wasn’t overly large nor crowded although it did house a fully stocked bookshelf, a tidy bed w a pillow and white linen, a table with a chair, and a sink and a toilet. It was fairly reminiscent of a very clean windowless prison cell. Most of the lights flickered in an inconsistent strobe pattern casting shadows along the room. It appeared to be vacant of any life. At the farthest visible area was a room that sandwiched and isolated the center room. It mirrored the one she stood in with the exception that the glass was transparent and not a one way mirror. The 4th door entered this viewing room leaving the middle room void of a direct access. There was a drawer in the wall that resembled that of a bank box that denied either side direct contact, but small items could be transferred. 

And with that the tour was complete. She was directed through the mechanical security door, back down one level of restriction. Directly outside of the area was a room reserved with her name on the exterior. A desk, computer, and office phone were inside. Given the secrecy of the assignment, her guide knew no more than Marinette did concerning her project, thus wasn’t able to answer any questions. She was directed back to the records room, shown her assignments specific area of research and suggested to check out this material and return to her office.

Once in her new office, past research materials in her possession she couldn’t wait to dive in. There was obviously classified information judging by the amount of confidentiality agreements she had signed. What kind of being could they possibly have in their possession and where was this “monster” being held? If the holding room was anything to go off of, it had basic needs and an understanding of books though how much she was curious. She had heard the rumors. It was not human. Capable of mass destruction and the highest security measures were necessary. One rumor went as far to state that all physical contact was restricted after it escaped one night and bled dry all other test animals on site. The dangers were limitless. If it fell into the wrong hands could be used as a weapon thus the need for seclusion and secrecy. She had also heard others deny the possibility of the situation leading her to believe most people were unaware of its existence entirely. 

The first catalog began with a detailed explanation of the genes manipulated all carefully categorized by date. Marinette skipped ahead, albeit the information she was reading was fascinating, she would double back for more details once her curiosity was satisfied. She closed that volume after skimming the pages and being no closer to what she was looking for. Having skimmed through two more books yielding nothing, she reached for a plastic bag containing a jump drive that was in the box amongst some other volumes of data. 

Upon waking her computer and inserting the drive, she seemed to finally have found something useful. The computer file held digitized photos and videos dating back from the conception of the project. The first she saw were stills of microscopic samples. She scrolled down and saw thumbnails of photos of a toddler with a mop of blonde hair and a wide smile. Nothing was out of the ordinary about him. The only thing that made her question if the photos weren't mistakenly placed here were that the photos seemed to be taken at the government facility and the child was in what appeared to be a hospital gown. When photographed accompanied with anyone, they were in a lab coat and seemed to be behaving professionally. This couldn’t possibly have been right. He was just a little boy. This could not have been her “monster.”

Thumbnails blurred as she continued to scroll. She stopped once she was satisfied she had spanned enough time. Same little boy now around 5 years old with what appeared to be the same cheery disposition smiling for the camera while appearing to be measured with a tape. A few photos down he was in what appeared to be hospital issued pants that resembled pajamas. His shirt was off but on the right side of his stomach was a large black spot. Several images cataloged the measurements. 

She scrolled further. About 5 more years had passed. The thumbnail of a video showed him while the camera was in motion. She pressed play. He was being measure, smile not as bright but shyly smirking none the less. Not making eye contact with the camera this time. Someone with a stern voice off camera called him Adrien and directed him to stop wasting their time. He took his shirt off to reveal his entire chest was covered in a black as coal pigmentation although it was otherwise flush on his skin. A woman in a lab coat proceeded to measure it while calling out her findings. Then the video ended. Next she played a video of the boy at a table with the woman seated across from him. She had what appeared to be illustrations of random objects on cards facing him. She asked him to name all of the objects shown which he did with pride. Pointing to one of the cards, she questioned how he knew of that object never having been told or exposed to its existence. He grinned to himself and refused to answer or look up. 

Marinette was appalled. This was not what she signed up for. She scrolled further. The photo was shot obviously through the glass. The boy, a teenager, his smile now absent stared into nothing. He stood in issued pants with the facilities name printed on his left hip, his arms spread showing that the black pigmentation covered the entirety of his skin only sparing his neck and face. A sequence of photos followed showing him in the same stance but from other angles as if he spun in a circle. 

She played a video from the same area in the timeline. The vantage appeared to be the same from behind the glass. It showed an empty room. And a stern voice addressed Adrien by name and demanded he showed himself. A voice of what seemed to be the boy replied that he would stipulating if the camera was turned off. A shadow shifted in a corner of the room. The next video played. He was seated alone, isolated in his room while someone asked him a sequence of questioned in which he didn’t react at all. Then he vanished. In a puff of smoke he dissolved and the video ended. 

Marinette stared at the computer monitor for long after the video had ended. She didn’t see a monster. She saw an innocent child being treated far worse than what was mandated for animals. She scrolled to the end of the folder and played the last video. The file name indicated that it was dated from the previous month. It was of the room in the state she had observed. Nothing seemed to be happening. If it weren’t for the lights strobing while the videos timeline moved she would have thought it a still photograph of the room. About 30 seconds in, a shadow moved from the left to the right of the frame then back again as if something was pacing. She stopped the film and rewound it. After playing it several times she was sure she had seen a shadow and it wasn’t just a trick of the lights flickering. 

She stood. Facing her desk, head down, looking at nothing in particular. She walked out of her office, closing the door behind herself. She stood frozen. Not knowing where she was going or what she was intending to do. After taking a moment to gather her thoughts, she came to the conclusion that she needed to see that room. See it for herself. Turning to her left she entered the necessary information to enter the maximum restricted area, the mechanical door swung open. Next she entered the viewing room. She found herself seated... concealed...looking through the one way glass. She sat looking for anything to verify what she was being led to believe was housed in that room. 

Marinette only had to wait a moment before she heard a man clear his throat followed by  
“ and to what do I owe this pleasure?”


	2. Chapter 2

“And to what do I owe this pleasure?”

Feeling her pulse quicken and her eyes widen in surprise “Wh-what?! H-how did you know I was here?” Marinette replied. 

“I can feel you...”

There was a pause. Marinette took her time to find the source of the voice, but came up empty. “Where are you?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” She could hear him smiling, she felt as if she were being mocked.

“Although, if you’re here, you’ve no doubt heard tales of my gruesome misbehaving... how crude were they this time? Tell me, princess, are you scared?” 

“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear...” she whispered mostly to herself. 

“... and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” He finished. “My, my... where did they find you?”

“Are you not capable of being seen? Did something happen to make you this way?”

“My lady, you came to class having not completed your homework...” he chuckled. “Why don’t you ask around the coffee pot, I’m sure someone will be more than willing to offer up my life’s secrets... until then, you have some reading ahead of you. Until then.” He said in a tone that hinted at the finality of their conversation. 

Could what she heard be true? Was it possible that there were even more stories worse than the few she heard bits and pieces of? By the time she stepped out of the viewing room, it was a respectable time to leave for the work day. She grabbed her bag on the way out and headed home for a much deserved drink. She couldn’t talk to anyone about the madness of work, not that anyone would believe her if she could. But having worked for years in government, they all knew better than to ask. At least the wine and her pajamas were old company that her confidentiality documents excluded.

•

The following day she arrived at work an hour before she was expected, but if anyone noticed they didn’t mention it. 

She dove head first into the paperwork. This time skipping nothing. She absorbed everything. From his unnatural conception. To a divide in the team, some questioned if anything was different about him at all and considered if what they were doing was humane. But he didn’t have any family, no one to fight for him. The government was his family. And they did with him what they wished. 

Then he began to show unnatural signs. As more time went on, it became unanimously agreed upon that without a doubt they had done the right thing in keeping him isolated from the public. Be it from fear or shame, it was never spoken of again. 

As he grew his body began to change in the ways she had previously seen documented now accompanied by notes and charts. It didn’t need to be reiterated that with the growth of the ink spot on his chest his demeanor grew dimmer. That was well documented in the printed photos placed in the reports although his behavior was rarely mentioned. 

Over time he developed the ability to vanish into smoke. The first time he was throwing a tantrum as a child. Then later to further test his abilities, he was provoked. It was found that he could not vanish completely but was virtually undetectable in shadows. He could manipulate matter but wasn’t solid enough to touch. 

He also showed signs of knowing information he had no way of learning. It was an ongoing investigation to learn how he had possessed this knowledge. But he soon refused to participate in those studies.

Around 16 he was “vanishing” more frequently and also began to show signs of outright rebellion and questioning authority. It was at this time it was decided he would no longer be allowed to physically touch the staff and wasn’t allowed to leave his room. It was imperative he was not given an opportunity to escape, so it was seen as a preventative measure. 

By the age of 19, he stopped manifesting in his human form altogether. It was unknown but assumed it was because he couldn’t. Right before his finial transformation, it was noted that the pale skin of his youth was gone and his skin was entirely inky black. The annual reports for the last 7 years remained virtually the same. No one had seen his since. What few conversations he afforded them he was extremely vague and unforthcoming. 

Her assignment as it seemed was to simply continuing documenting the space he occupied and what little information he gave. If the past few years if the past documentation was anything to go on, not much was expected of her. Her predecessors entries dwindled until there were only a few entries for the entire year. It could be assumed that there wasn’t anything to document or they were overly tasked elsewhere, which the former seemed more likely. 

Marinette’s first field job. Albeit unconventional, didn’t hold up much promise by way of excitement. If he was as tight lipped as he had been with previous caseworkers, she was in for a long, boring career. More paperwork, but she was up for the challenge. She would get as much information to fill his file than had been previously documented up until that point. She was adamant about learning this monster firsthand and put any misgivings aside for now.

•

The following day proceeded to be dark and dreary. While rain threatened, it seemed to be holding off for the moment. 

Marinette rain from a bookstore with her most recent purchase under arm and a hot coffee in her other hand. Afraid if she lingered too long her luck would run out and she would be caught in the rain. Once in her car, the sky opened. Rain pouring with no end in sight. 

Arriving at work, she waved to the security guard at the entrance and walked with her destination in mind. Her access badges flew in required sequence. She threw her bag in her office chair and continued straight into the most restricted area. 

Although it was her first time opening door number 4, she was familiar with the layout having previously seen it on visiting the hidden side. She scanned the center room. She expected to find nothing and wasn’t surprised by her results. Marinette had a seat at the table. 

Setting her coffee cup down, she opened the book she bought that morning. She began to silently read. It wasn’t long until her invisible company’s curiosity was peaked. 

“Good morning, Marinette...” he popped the ‘T’ at the end of her name playfully.

As surprised as she was he knew her name, she schooled her expression and as nonchalantly as possible lifted her head. Smiling sweetly, she said, “Good morning, Adrien.” 

He gave a light hearted laugh and inquired after her book.

“It’s actually for you. I bought it after scanning the index of your library. I was surprised you not only recognized the author but could quote him when we met, the records indicate that you have never had his book in your possession.” She held out a thick green leather book decorated in gold filagree. “The Complete Fiction of H.P. Lovecraft” written on top. 

It was strange speaking while seeing no one, more so when they didn’t answer. A disembodied voice was hard to have a decent conversation with. Had she done something wrong? Was he upset at her calling him out on information he shouldn’t have know? She was having a hard time knowing where to navigate the conversation with no social cues.

After a few moments she stood and walked to his drawer in the wall, but before she could open it he replied, “someone who used to visit me was a prolific reader of that author. My knowledge of his isn’t directly from his work.... thank you. That was extremely kind of you. No one has ever brought me something so considerate before.” 

She glanced around, her neck having gone stiff not knowing exactly where to look, the voice coming from no where in particular. “you’re welcome.”

Before she could slip the book in the drawer, “Stop... stop please. Could you read to me for a little while?” 

“Of course I will. If you don’t mind me asking. Can you not? I only assumed you could with your library.. and nothing was in your file saying either way...” she realized she was getting flustered and needed to listen for a response. 

He gave a small laugh at her expense, “I can and do enjoy reading. I enjoy it equally as much as I enjoy listening to your voice. So much so that I wish to combine the two. If you will be so kind as to humor me.”

“Where should I begin? Do you have a favorite story?”

“I’m not familiar enough with the work to have an opinion. I only know of the characters in passing and out of context.”

“I only know what we read in high school, I’ll just pick one...” 

She opened to one at random. “The Outsider” began: “Unhappy is he to whom the memories of childhood bring only fear and sadness....” the narrator continued to weave a tale of someone who has been living alone in a castle for as long as he can remember decides to break free in search of human contact and light. Marinette gets about halfway through when she decides maybe this isn’t the best story to be reading in the present company’s circumstance and wonders in what context had this visitor of Adriens been referencing this author. 

“That’s enough for today. Maybe a bit too dreary for a rainy day...” realizing too late he had no way of knowing the weather due to his isolation. She was beginning to question herself again being involved with something that seemed so unethical.

She was met with silence. She sat and continued her coffee until it was done, staring into space thinking of all the ways she had messed up. She felt like a jerk. Second time she meets him and she all but rubs his misfortune in his face. She stands to leave. Tears beginning to form in her eyes. She keeps her head angled away so he can’t see even, though he probably isn’t looking, but she has no way of knowing. 

Her hand is on the door before she hears him ask, “can you please leave me the book?”

She turns her head towards the glass separating them but of course sees nothing. His voice sounded so small. She hates that she contributed to that. She musters up a nod and a small smile and swallows her tears the best she can. She gently placed the book in the deposit box and slides it closed. She hesitates as she watches the book lift and hover over to the desk within the room. The book flips open and stops. She smiles a little to herself and walks out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey welcome back! I have an outline where I want this story to go, but I never realized how much of a life these things can take on all of their own. I feel like a small child smoking a cigar while driving the family Cadillac - I know where I wanna go. Not sure how smooth the ride is going to be lol. Buckle up if you’re with me, and I’m going to pretend like I know what I’m doing... comments are appreciated. Let’s go!


	3. Chapter 3

 

The following morning she had an informal meeting with her supervisor. He was of a muscular build, well in his 50s, had a military background by his haircut, position, and title. He dressed in a nice suit and presented himself very professionally. They exchanged pleasantries. He inquired of her thoughts now that she had been given time to research and explore her assignment. Marinette replied that she found the documentation interesting and had read through it all. She intended to reread everything and make notes of her own. 

 

“If I may speak candidly for a second...” he said. “This project has been put on the back burner due to a lack of..” he paused. “ _his_ willingness to corporate _.”_

She was at a loss for words and only stared. 

 

The general continued, “unless you can coax him out of his rebellion, I’m afraid we are merely babysitting, waiting for the inevitable. Quite honestly, this division has given up hope and have changed directions. Our expectations are low, so anything you can provide by way of information is considered a win.” 

 

“Could we possibly offer him incentives?

 

“At this point we are not sure what he is capable of, and we are possibly unprepared. His room has so far kept him contained, so we aren’t willing to risk further messing this up. He is currently not a threat, so I’m afraid our backs are against the wall on what we could offer by way of an incentive.”

 

She thought this rather callus, but wasn’t surprised by how Adrien had been treated thus far. 

 

•

 

Later that afternoon, she entered room 4. For the first time she was the one to initiate the conversation. 

 

“Hello...Adrien?” She closed the door behind her and stood a few steps in the room. 

 

“Hello, Marinette.”

 

“I wanted to apologize for yesterday. I was thoughtlessly insensitive,” she said w her head down feeling ashamed. “but I hope you believe my intentions weren’t to be so.” She wasn’t sure if she was also apologizing for not fighting hard enough for Adrien with her boss that morning. But she was resolved to try again soon.

 

“I know. It’s ok”

 

She walked over to his deposit box and placed a brown paper bag inside.

 

“What’s this?” She could almost hear a smile in his voice.

 

“A peace offering.” She looked up at no one. Smiled then took her seat by the table.

 

She saw his side of the drawer open. And out of it floated the bag. Today the lights were not blinking although only half were on, which she was thankful because she always thought how distracted they made her. She could hear the rustling as she saw the paper bag open. She watched for anything to see an indication of his physical form. The room was dim but she could still see a shadow. 

 

“It’s a cookie. I had one earlier and thought of you... I thought you might enjoy a treat. I found nothing on your dietary habits. But who doesn’t like a cookie?” She gave a laugh that sounded forced.

 

“ thank you, that was very kind. I’ll save it for later.” The bag was closed and placed on his table. 

 

They sat in silence as she thought of something to talk about. She saw the book next to the bag. “Have you been reading?”

 

“Yes. I have been. He is definitely a different author than I’m accustomed to. But I find it refreshing to have something new to occupy my time.” 

 

She scrunched her nose as she thought of how bored he must be. That his life is being wasted. An innocent pawn being held for no purpose expect for his potential.

 

“ yes...” he agreed.

 

Her head shot up with a questioning look on her face. Was she talking out loud? Was her face that obvious to give her away? Could he feel her pity?

 

He gave a dull laugh. 

 

“No, you weren’t. Yes, it kind of was even if I wasn’t capable of this. And yes, I can feel your pity for me.”

 

Her eyes opened wide and they sat in silence for a few minutes. “Why me? After being quiet and cryptic for so long are you willingly giving me this information?”

 

“Because your intentions are pure.” She imagined he would have shrugged if she could see him. “You’re kind without an altered motive.”

 

Had he been reading her thoughts this whole time? That’s how he knew she was in the viewing room when she should have bed concealed the first day. This wasn't in his files. Was no one aware of this ability? Great. How can you not think something? You can’t stop yourself from thinking something once it’s thought. And he would know... He could see right through everyone and no one was even aware. Don’t think anything stupid. Don’t think anything stupid... 

 

He laughed in what might have been the first genuine laugh he had given her. She smiled and thought it sounded cute. Then regretted not being able to conceal that thought. 

 

•

She sat her desk. Questioning if she should make a report on her new findings. He was leading her to believe he could read her mind. He gave her proof. It was by all means a fact at this point. She should report her findings to her supervisor, lead a team to perform a few experiments, she could possibly be promoted for already achieving what was deemed impossible. But what was stopping her? She was hesitant. She could always file it later. No one had to know right now. How could she be so sure anyway? If Adrien was leading her on and she reported his false new found ability, she would make a fool of herself. She justified waiting with the possibility of filing that away for a later day. No one had to know yet. She could run a few undocumented experiments on her own until she had further proof of this theory. 

•

Marinette lay awake that night thinking of how she could use his new found power to their advantage. She wasn’t sure why she was doing this, but justified it as research. The next day she would begin her experiment in secret. A secret she couldn’t conceal from Adrien, but smiled when she thought she wouldn’t want to anyway. 

•

She ran into work the next day. Bypassed her office and found that she couldn’t scan her access badges fast enough to get into the fourth door. 

“Adrien!” She breathed heavily from practically running from the parking lot. 

“Wow, you’re excited this morning.” He said with a laugh. “I’m glad to see you too.” 

“I have a surprise.” As she placed a deck of playing cards into his drawer. 

She watched as they levitated and the box was opened. She sat on the floor with her legs crossed in front of the glass and pulled out her own deck. 

“I-I don’t know what these are...”

“oh, right! Well, they are cards that people use to play games... to have fun or kill time.” ‘ _But I was hoping we could play a different game,_ ’ she thought. 

“What kind of game?” 

“I could teach you a few...” she said but thought ‘ _although I have something more in mind. If you can hear my thoughts, tell me the card that is visible in my hand.”_

Silence _._

“That card has 5 red hearts on it. Why?” Was his reply. 

_‘Wait. Was that an honest question? Or is he answering my thought?’_

“And this card has 8... wait, what are these?” She could hear a smile in his inflection and the cards facecwas shown to her.

She smiled feeling he was being mischievously vague in his answer if he was indeed aware of her thoughts. “Clovers, they are supposed to represent the plant.”

“Hum. I’m not aware of that plant.”

“Really? It’s a very common weed. Anyway, the different icons represent ‘suits.’ There are four. Hearts, diamonds, spades and clovers...” she proceeded to explain the cards and a simple game. ‘ _if you can hear me, please show me the 3 of spades...’_ she internally begged. 

The cards spread out on the floor in front of the glass. Time seemed to crawl. Then separated from the rest as if by illusion was the requested card. 

Her smile split her face and she laughed out loud, leaning back and kicking her legs in the air, “Yes!!” She quickly schooled her expression and sat cross legged again, suddenly afraid to give them away on the surveillance. 

Looking down, she pretended to be busy with her deck.  _‘I want a way to communicate with you, while remaining undetected. We can use these cards for a while at least, but may have to move onto something else eventually to keep them from catching on.’_ she thought.

“Ok, let’s start.” He seemed to say out of the blue. 

They began their first game. While she continued to explain her idea.  _‘I want a way for you to be absolutely honest with me. No matter what you say, I’ll believe what you show me. Odd cards are “no” and even cards are “yes.” Play a royal card if you understand.’_ He proceeded to comply.

She smirked to herself with her head lowered. 

They played for the remainder of the game in silence. Snickering when someone got the upper hand. Adrien lay his last card down indicating his victory. 

Marinette pouted. _‘What was I thinking playing cards against someone who can read my thoughts...’_ her mouth turned up at the sound of his laughter.

•

Spending time with Adrien was quickly becoming the highlight of her day. She told him stories from her life, which he didn’t hold back questions about the smallest of details. She introduced him to her favorite music, and was even able to give him a portable player. She checked out as many books from the library that he requested topic on. 

Weeks past and she found herself thinking of him and making lists of things to remember to relay to him when she returned to work. Anything she felt could improve his quality of life she didn’t hesitate to offer him. 

Her supervisor occasionally asked for an update, but she oversimplified the situation by stating that she was working on building his trust with nothing of significance to report. 

•

Marinette walked into room four and headed straight to the deposit box laying down an object then had a seat on the floor in front of the glass with a smile. 

“I feel I’m in jeopardy of being spoiled by you, princess.” She could hear a smile in his voice as the box opened. “Are these what I think they are?” He asked as she watched a few clover leafs and flowers levitate very slowly. 

“What a clever boy you are!” She laughed. “They are. I remembered you had no reference for them while this morning I passed the largest cluster I had ever seen!” 

It was quiet... For far too long. Her smile fell. 

She began to internally panic. What had she done?

“Adrien?...”

“Did you mean it?” His tone serious. 

“It’s just a flower, I’m so sorry. Are you ok? What did I do?”

“You called me a boy. Did you mean it? Do you think of me that way?”

Realization struck her that everyone she had ever heard from only referred to him as a monster, could it be that he thought of himself as one too? Her heart broke. “Oh, Adrien... of course I do.” She placed her hand on the glass and saw a transparent black mass appear opposite her hand on the glass. Her breath hitched. 

“They aren’t just flowers. Thank you. They are beautiful....”

A silent moment went by as she worried for him, until he asked, “do they really grow in clusters?” 

She sighed into a smile, “Yes, yes they do.” And leaned her forehead on the glass thankful she hadn’t hurt him again. 


	4. Chapter 4

It was difficult at first. But if she focused hard enough, her thoughts weren’t a jumbled mess, but instead a clean sequence of thoughts meant to be understood by someone else. And now that she had learned it, she wouldn’t have had it any other way. It was as if they were in a secret club. It was their own language that no one but the two of them knew about. Even though it was certainly the most unconventional of relationships, she was rapidly becoming to think of it as her dearest.

Part of her was terrified that if anything happened to her, Adrien would never know and think he had been abandoned. That really bother her.

Sometimes, while she lay in her bed waiting sleep to take her, she wondered exactly what Adrien was and what he was capable of. She considered he could be a ghost linked to his room for all of eternity. Had they somehow altered his soul when they created him? It was no less logical than considering him a smoke monster. Now that she thought about it, did he even eat? She never saw him do anything for substance. Did he ever eat that cookie she gifted him? ... He couldn’t be a ghost, right? He had gradually turned into a shadow. There wasn’t some tragic event that turned him that way. 

•

Today was a good day. Though not that many seemed to be bad anymore since they fell into a rhythm. It was a rainy day and the building seemed to be freezing. She smuggled two blankets into room 4. Having shoved one in his deposit box, which didn’t fit and nearly jammed the damn thing, she found her spot on the floor and threw her blanket across her shoulders.

“I thought you might be cold...” was all she said in regards to the blanket. 

It was pulled every which way to gain its freedom from the drawer. Once loose, was dragged across the floor in a way that resembled a snake moving on its own to a spot in front of her. The blanket was made to resemble hers, except the inside was hallow.

“I don’t get cold, but I appreciate the sentiment. It’s very soft! Plus we can be twins.” He finished with a chuckle. 

She loved when they browsed books on animals. Sometimes Adrien would laugh so hard it sounded like he was crying over some of the animals he could hardly believe existed. And she would laugh right along because his laughter was so contagious.

After laughing and learning enough new fun facts on animals of the deep sea for the day, they decided to play a few card games.

They played mostly in comfortable silence the only comments were on the game itself. Between games they were shuffling the decks when she looked up.

“This resembles my childhood slumber parties. All we are missing is bad pizza and ice cream.” She laughed at the thought and ridiculousness that was the current situation. Lately she couldn’t believe this was considered work. She would still come if they refused her pay.

_‘Hey Adrien_ ’, she thought.

While continuing to shuffle his cards, he made a noise of acknowledgement that she wouldn’t have otherwise noticed if she hadn’t been listening.

_‘Do you miss being in your solid form?”_

His cards fanned out so he could see their faces. First he flipped a card to indicate ‘yes’ then ‘no’ on the ground. He held them both up together facing the glass before reintroducing them to the deck and continuing to shuffle.

_’If you could... I mean... if you had a chance...’_ She stopped herself short to acknowledge what she wanted to ask in the most delicate way possible. _‘Would you leave if you could?’_

She could barely finish the thought before and audible “Yes...” was uttered.

She sat still for a moment then looked up at the floating blanket. That was it. Challenge accepted. Right then and there Marrinette decided she was going to get him out. What Adrien wanted he was going to get, she could deny him nothing. She just needed a little bit of time to flesh out her plan.

  
•

But time was hard to come by. When the alarms went off indicating that there had been a breach in security, she was at her desk filing a report with false information on Adrien’s cognitive awareness.

Adrien was her first priority. She stood from her desk. He must be terrified with the blaring of the alarm. As fast as she could, she gained access to his viewing room to find glass shattered on the floor. Where was he?!

“A-Adrien? Adrien?!!!”

 

Nothing.

Nononononononono... no. She wasn’t ready for this. She needed to have a plan and supplies. Sure, she trusted him, more than she ever trusted the assholes that she worked with. Her and Adrien would often even laugh about that together in the same way she assumed co-workers might. It’s not that she wasn’t prepared to have Adrien as a permanent instillation in her life, she even fantasize about him filling the role of imaginary friend. She just wasn’t prepared in the way she would have liked to have already had a new job when she could no longer work at this facility .... and maybe even cleaned her apartment.

She left the maximum security area and stood outside her office door. The hall was in chaos. Further down the hall, what looked like a swat team was approaching. Fighting against the sea of people in lab coats moving towards the exit. The lights of the entire facility were dimmed down to barely a glow. She stood in her doorway silently begging Adrien to be safe. 

And right before the panic set in she looked up. Something caught her eye in the dark. 

Directly across from her office, standing in a recessed doorway, not visible from the hallway, was a man. He was obviously older than the last photos she had seen of him. If the ink marked skin wasn’t enough to reveal his identity, the green leather book she had gifted him that was held to his chest only confirmed it. The dark pigmentation covered every inch she could see from his neck down his broad shoulders and chest. His upper neck and lower face were spared the markings, but began again from the tip of his nose to above his eyes like a band around his eyes. She was surprised to see any of his skin unaffected. Last he was seen, he was fully covered. His hair was still blonde although shaggier than she had remembered. He wore facility issued pants that were too short revealing bare ink colored feet. 

His eyes were closed, and his chest was heaving, intaking deep breaths through his open mouth. His nose scrunched as he put his hand to his head and shrank down with his back on the door. She could barely make out his lips moving, talking to himself.

Marinette couldn’t panic. She didn’t have time. She needed to be strong for Adrien. So she stepped up.

She stepped forward into the recess of the doorway and bent along side of him. She gently took his hands away from his head. He opened his eyes to look into her own and she saw so many emotions in his green eyes. 

His fear and panic motived her to act. She squeezed his hand and held it in both of her own. 

“Adrien, we are going to walk across the hall into my office, but to do that I need the lights off. Can you do that for a few seconds just until we cross?” She had long since assumed he had some power of manipulating the lights in his room, but up until that point never asked.

He nodded.

She stood, with his hand still in hers as she pulled him up. He was a head taller than her as she looked up at him, she counted to three and whispered “now.” The lights went completely out and the roar of chaos echoed in the hall. She pulled him by the hand, and drug him across the hall. She felt for her door. The only lights that remained were from the flashlights of the swat team. Once they made it to her office and the door was shut, the lights flickered back to their previous dimness. Marinette prayed no one had seen them as she let out a sigh with her back to the locked door. 

Marinette looked up and locked eyes w Adrien. _‘What to do? What to do?...we can’t hide. Think...’_

Her eyes scanned the room and stopped on a cabinet in the corner. She threw it open to reveal a small hanging rack with a few pressed lab coats on clothing hangers. In the bottom, on the floor was a packaged rubber hazmat suit. Bingo.

She was sure she had never moved faster than the time it took her to remove the packaging and dress him in that suit.

She grabbed him by the helmet, found his eyes through the face shield and instructed him to stay close behind her. 

She was surprisingly doing well under this pressure. Remembering to grab her purse, she shoved Adrien’s book into her bag. Praying, wishing, hoping, anything short of selling her soul, she cracked the door to see swat members rushing past into the adjacent passage towards Adrien’s room moving much faster with no one in their way.

the hallways door shut closed with a click. A moment later, the hall fell into silence. With baited breath, she opened her door further. Everyone had either already evacuated the premises or moved in the opposite direction in search of what had caused the security breach. 

She quietly swung her door the rest of the way open and stepped out looking back to encourage Adrien to follow her. She couldn’t see his face but he remained directly behind her.

Their exit from the building was fairly uneventful having everyone else already evacuated. However, the parking lot was in a state of disorder. She was thankful to find more people in hazmat suits peppering the crowd making Adrien blend in. 

The took off in a sprint to find her vehicle. Through the crowd she heard someone call her name. Marinette pretended she didn’t hear and kept moving. She was forced to stop when she was approached by her departments receptionist. 

“Marinette! Thank god! I was so worried the monster had gotten you.” She was holding her shoulders preventing her from leaving. 

Marinette looked over her shoulder to see Adrien had stopped about 5 feet behind her. He was milling around, pretending to be busy doing nothing. 

“I’m fine! What monster? That’s not even true. That’s only a rumor. You should know better than to listen to office gossip. If anything, it’s probably a test mouse that got loose.” She tried to sound convincing. “I’m going to take this opportunity to run some errands. I’ll see you tomorrow, I’m sure.” With that, she brushed past her coworker. And saw in her peripheral vision a yellow suit started walking after her again. 

“Oh... ok... well, see you...”

She reached her SUV, unlocked the doors with the key chain, opening the back hatch and all but threw Adrien in the cargo space. She closed the back door. Speed walked around to the drivers door, then climbed in. She let out a huge breath and adjusted her rear view mirror to see A huge yellow suit kneeling in the back of her vehicle on all fours. 

“Get down and hold on!” She said throwing the car into drive and pressing the gas. She sped off hearing a gasp and a thud as the yellow mass disappeared behind her seat in the rear view mirror. 


	5. Chapter 5

She merged into the swarm of cars leaving the facility headed towards the city. Not even 3 miles down the road, her phone rang.

Her neighbor was panicked. Asking of her whereabouts and if she was ok. She stated that she was walking onto their floor when she happened upon a group of men with duffle bags entering Marinette’s apartment. The neighbor was relieved to hear that she wasn’t home, and informed her that she wasn’t sure if they were still in the apartment. The neighbor, fearing it was a possible break in already made a call to the police. Marinette said not to expect her back feigning fear of facing the robbers and informed her that she would stay with a friend until it was resolved. She would contact the police and rely on them for details and clearance of her apartment. 

Change of plans. When it came time to get on the main road, she went the opposite direction away from the traffic. 

After driving 30 minutes through the woods away from the city. Marinette pulled over in a spot once the shoulder of the road became a little wider. She got out of the vehicle and opened the rear door to reveal a seemingly empty hazmat suit laying on the floor of her cargo space. 

“Adrien!” She yelled as she grabbed for an arm of the suit. She was surprisingly met with resistance as the suit sat up. “oh my god, I was so worried...”

The suit climbed out of the back. She unzipped the front to reveal a shadow within. “Can you change at will?” She asked, proceeding to remove the suit, throw it in the cargo space, and close the door. 

“I’m not sure, I hadn’t been in that form in so long.”

She walked to the passenger side door and opened it for him, not blocking the view to allow him to watch how she lifted the handle. Having been isolated for so long left him with so much to learn. She knew he was a quick study, but she made a note to intentionally show him things without verbally explaining or waiting for him to ask.

• 

The drive was quiet. But her mind was racing with questions and she was sure he heard everyone. 

In the corner of her eye, she saw him take his physical form. 

She glanced in his direction, noticing his face was turned towards his side window. “I can control it, so it seems.”

“Please don’t feel you need to be this way for my sake. Although it’s fine. Do whatever is most comfortable. We haven’t seen anyone in over an hour, so you don’t have to hide either, this area is so secluded... whatever, really.”

His arms were folded across his chest, his shoulders hunched, and he was giving himself a hug. She felt he might be feeling lost or insecure. Reaching in the back seat, she pulled his book from her bag and held it out to him. 

His head turned and he shifted his eyes from the book to her a few times before taking the book and clutching it to his chest. “Thank you.” It was the only thing in the world that he could call his own besides the pair of pants that were a few sizes too small. 

“Do you want to talk about what happened today?”

He turned his head to look out the passenger side window again. So much time passed that she was about to say something to ease the pressure, but he must have heard her thoughts, he spoke up.

“They weren’t happy with you.”

“What do you mean? Had they caught onto my false reports? Or was I not making enough progress?”

“Quite the contrary, the expectations for your position were to continue to ignore me. That’s probably not what you were told, but I heard it. You were making too much progress with me and they weren’t happy. They didn’t want to draw attention to your assignment, it would have renewed interest and launched further investigations. The General was worried about taking money and resources away from his other projects that he currently deems a higher priority...I also think he wants to punish me... Today was going to be your last day and I would have never seen you again. You would have been escorted off of the premises without as much as a goodbye...I would have never been able to find you if you never came back. I don’t know how the word works, more less where in it you are. I had to make a move.... But when I got out, I was too overwhelmed. I could hear too many people’s thoughts at once. The alarm was so loud, I couldn’t find you. I couldn’t single you out from the crowd.” He took a deep breath and looked down at his lap. “If you left, I was as good as dead in that room.”

She wanted to touch reach a hand out to him, to comfort him, but wasn’t sure how much was too much so soon. So she chose to comfort him the in a way she knew he was comfortable. Something she had already earned. With words. “I’m glad it was today then. I wouldn’t want to live in a world without you either.” She glanced over and smiled. 

Adrien lifted his head and met her eyes. A shy smile formed on his lips. 

• 

They passed a few small towns and Adrien only shifted to his hidden form when they passed vehicles. He was now changing so frequently, she assumed he would rather be in his human form but still changed to avoid any unwanted attention. 

She was initially concerned with his quietness. But quickly wrote it off as she saw his head whip and eyes follow things outside the window as he took everything in. She assumed his mind was reeling from the sensory overload. 

“There are so many variations of colors I’ve never seen. Everything is so bright. There is so much light.”

She handed him a pair of sunglasses and told him to put those on if it was too bright. He complied and looked over at her. She stifled a laugh. His darker skin took on a bluish quality like some fully shaded tattoos she had seen or resembling a wet suit. He looked like he belonged on a road trip along the coast. Shirtless with his shaggy blonde hair and looking so casual in his sun glasses, so in contrast to their actual situation. It was so easy to picture him in a life he deserved with his hand out of an open car window surfing the wind. 

•

A few more towns passed. Purposely pushing the limit to right before she ran out of gas. She pulled into a parking lot. 

“Stay hidden in here. I won’t be long. But we need money.” Before entering the bank, she locked her vehicle with her remote. 

A short time later, she re-emerged looking paranoid clutching her purse to her chest.  
She got into her drivers seat, closing the door and verifying they were locked in. “Are you ok? Sorry, I was as fast I could be.” 

“Yea, I’m fine. Just watching people.”

She started the car and pulled into a gas station. “We can stop for gas before we leave this town. They will have already been able to trace me here from my withdrawal.”

She topped off the vehicle with gas and entered the cab with an armful of snacks from inside. “I wasn’t sure what you liked. So I got a little bit of everything.” She nervously giggled. “If you want to try to eat something...I assume you might do that now, that you can be solid. If not, that’s fine too... ” she rushed out.

She couldn’t see him but heard him laugh and said he would like to try. They drove out of town and stopped on the side of the road. Pulling out her phone, she searched a few minutes while Adrien transitioned and began rummaging through the snacks. 

“Where are we going?” He ask while nibbling on a potato chip. He made a very serious face while his eyes shifted up and he continued chewing. He resembled someone studying the flavor profile of a very expensive wine. 

“I have a plan, we are just waiting for a reply,” she answered grabbing a few chips from his bag and shoving them whole in her mouth. With his eyes wide, he watched her then proceeded to grab a few chips and replicate her process of stuffing his face... after they had both swallowed their eyes met and they starting to laugh.

“So what do you think?”

“Eating makes a lot more noise than I expected, but it’s fun. And the taste is not how I remembered, but it’s... nice.” He smiled. 

“Have you ever eaten chips before?”

“These things? No. Not that I can recall.”

“What food have you eaten before?” She asked opening a package of chocolate candy.

“my food would come in packed bags. It wasn’t anything I ever looked forward to. But it would pacify my growling stomach... I had my favorite things, but it wasn’t because of what it was, but because of what it was not. Some of it was really bad... The older I became, I found that I could absorb electricity and I didn’t have the need to eat for energy. When I didn’t need to eat anymore, I didn’t miss it.” 

She held out her hand full of candy, he took a piece of chocolate and chewed it thoughtfully. “How long has it been since you’ve eaten?” 

“Since I was last in this form. I’m not sure. I had no way of tracking that time.” 

Years. It had been around 7 years. She didn’t like to think about that.. then her phone buzzed taking her from that thought.

•

A few text messages later and the vehicle was rolling again. They were backtracking to a town they had already passed, knowing that if anyone was looking for them they would most likely assume they had continued further away from the town they were last tracked in.

The area they were in was a popular destination for hiking trails and wilderness adventures. Being the off season for tourism, she had her pick of any cabin to rent at a discounted rate. After finding the most secluded one online, she had forwarded her mom the link. Sworn to secrecy and with the promises to explain everything at a later time and to be paid back, the cabin was book until further notice under Marinette’s moms name.

With a plan in place, Marinette could relax a little for the first time today. It was a small solution in the grand scheme of things, but today’s problems were solved and Adrien was currently in a better place than he was yesterday. Everything else could wait until tomorrow. She plugged her phone into the car radio and played an upbeat songs. 

“What’s that?” Adrien laughed. 

“Um, it’s called dancing...” while driving Marinette spastically moved to a rhythm Adrien wasn’t sure matched the music at all. He laughed harder and joined in, half mocking her movements and making her laugh. 

Half the snacks eaten and a run through all of their favorite songs later, they arrived at their sanctuary two hours after the sun set. They would have been earlier had they not stopped to take in the sight.


	6. Chapter 6

A sequence of numbers her mom had texted was entered into a keypad to unlocked the front door. The cabin was made up of a large room with three doors on the far wall. The bathroom was centered between the two bedrooms. The main room housed one large wall with a kitchen with a stove, refrigerator and other minor appliances, two barstools sat on the end of an island, and a television was mounted on the wall across from a couch. 

They walked in nearly empty handed having no luggage and turned on the lights taking in their surroundings. Adrien dropped the remaining snacks off on the kitchen island and had a seat on the couch. Turning on the tv to a news station, Marinette fixed herself and Adrien a glass of water. She returned to the sofa, handing him his glass and zeroed into the news to see if anything had been reported on Adrien’s escape. She wasn’t surprised to hear nothing. 

Once the program had ended, Marinette muted the tv. He turned to see her hand holding the remote was shaking and he heard her breaths coming out inconsistent. She turned and their eyes met. Tears were threatening to spill. “Marinette, what’s wrong?” He whispered. 

“Nothing...”

“You can cry. You don’t always have to be so brave... you’re always so strong for both of us....” he slid over to be closer to her seat. 

She shook her head and wiped her eyes with the heel of her hands. “They are looking for me.. for us. You heard the phone call.” She let her hands drop and the tears started to fall from red eyes. “.. I’m scared, Adrien. This isn’t a permanent solution. There is no solution to this problem. We can’t run forever. We don’t have the funds for that. They will catch us. I would be lucky if they let me serve time in jail, and not just take further measures to quiet me up.... and you... You’ve got to promise that if they come for us, you will hide. No matter what happens, you transform and hide. You can’t go back there. Promise me!” 

He took her hands in his. He remembered how much that same gesture had grounded him when she had done the same for him. 

He looked her in the eyes, “ that will never happen. I’ll protect us both.”

“Adrien, I’m so scared for us.” Her voice broke in a sob. “And it always had to be this way. I couldn’t have left you there, ever. There was no other way this could have played out. And I’m so grateful you’re out of that place .” She gave him a smile with tear stained cheeks. He squeezed he hands and gave her a reassuring smile in return. 

“Promise me you’ll do everything you can to never go back. Promise me you’ll fight for yourself if it comes to that.” She said searching his eyes.

“I promise.” He never lost eye contact as he lifted her hands to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. “But it won’t come to that. It can’t. Plus they can’t hurt me, I’m a monster, remember?” As excited as she was to see the playful confidence had come through for a moment, she wished it hadn’t been at his expense. But she gave him a smile.

“I’m exhausted...” she took a deep breath before standing. She went into the bathroom and got ready for bed. Upon exiting she told Adrien of the new spare toothbrushes she had found and left out for him. 

“Oh wow I haven’t had teeth to brush in a while.” He laughed. He bid her goodnight. 

She chose a bedroom assuming he wouldn’t care which she picked being they were exactly the same. “Goodnight, Adrien.” She said as she closed the door. 

•

The following morning, a very wrinkled looking Marinette walked out of her room wearing the work clothes from the previous day. She found Adrien glued to the tv. A cooking show was on. She smiled and walked into the kitchen to scour for old complimentary coffee. Once made, she had a seat on the end of the couch resting her mug on the arm of the sofa. “We need to go shopping for some essentials today. I was thinking you should come. You’ll really enjoy it.”

“Of course, but can we wait until this show ends?”

She waited until the commercial break, “Did you sleep at all?”

Shyly he answered, “I did on and off. But I’m afraid I never had much of a sleep schedule. I’ll try to sleep longer tonight.”

•

They went to a clothing store and collected an assortment of solid T-shirts, jackets and lounge pants in his and her sizes. Once in a dressing room he transformed and assured the shirt and pants fit while a very blushing Marinette turned away to face a wall. She had also brought a few sizes of shoes into the dressing room and let him try them on for size away from a sales associate. She let him pick out his favorite pair, while she collected a pair of ballet flats and undergarments. 

They picked up essential groceries for the upcoming week. A few treats they had eaten the day prior made their way into the basket, having not remembered placing them in herself. She made a note they must be his favorite. 

Every purchase for the day was made untraceably in cash and by all bystander’s accounts, she was alone. 

•

Upon arrival at the cabin, Marinette loaded Adrien down with grocery bags and sent him in. She explained which items needed to be refrigerated while they both put them away. 

She sent him into the shower first. Laying his new clothes on the counter along with his towels and soaps. She closed the door on her way out and prayed he wouldn’t call for help. 

After he was out smelling nice with dripping hair, she went in to repeat the process. Although the day prior they hadn’t done anything to get filthy, she enjoyed scrubbing off the previous days filth and changing into fresh clothes. 

She assumed he was as hungry as she was and she took out the necessary things to make a modest lunch. They went over the basics of making a sandwich. Instead of making two simultaneously, she went over making her own, letting him taste each condiment, meat and cheese individually before letting him loose to create his own. When he was finished, she could have sworn that she had never seen anyone look more proud. She loved that face, mustard in the corner of his mouth and all.

After lunch, they played a game of cards outside. Seated on the floor of the porch in their old familiar way, they sat across from each other with their legs folded under themselves. Neither mentioned it, but playing without being separated by a plate of glass brought a whole new level of excitement. Marinette even introduced him to a new game they could play with only one deck. The possibilities were now endless and they couldn’t stop smiling. 

•

“I’m going to work on dinner. What do you want to do?”

“If you don’t mind, I’m going to stay out here for a bit and enjoy the fresh air. I’m really tired but want to save sleeping for tonight.” 

She didn’t want to treat him with kid gloves but found the need to protect him. She needed to trust him and show it. She needed to teach him that he was worthy of being treated with respect so she nodded but kept the door open. “I’ll be inside if you need anything.”

It was about fifteen minutes later when she heard a voice talking to someone. It was distinctly Adrien’s. Who could he possibly be talking to? He had been found before he could transform and hide. She wiped her hands on a towel and approached the door. She thought through several lies she could spout as a backstory before he came into view. He was sitting on the top of the steps leading into the porch. His hands were up with his palms out indicating surrender and his head was down. 

Seeing him in such a submissive pose she ran into the porch ready to defend him but saw no one. Who was he talking to? 

“Adrien? Are you ok? Who’s here?” She followed his line of sight and was met with two green eyes on a black face. Adrien looked up slightly panicked as a black cat weaved out from between his legs. 

“Why hello, little guy!” Marinette cooed as she sat by Adrien. The cat gave a short “mrreeoh” but continued to weave between Adrien’s legs. She held out her hand and the cat smelled it, she then took the initiative to pet his head. 

She looked at Adrien with questioning eyes. “Would you like to pet him?” He nodded. She took him by the hand and ran his fingers through the fur and he smiled. 

Adrien was startled when the cat jumped into his lap, and head butted his chests then proceeded to rub his face against Adrien’s jaw. He laughed at the tickling of his fur. 

“I think he likes you.”

“His name is Plagg.” The cat began to purr loudly. 

“Wait. Can you read his thoughts too?”

Plagg circled in his lap before taking a seat. “Not in the same way I can read peoples thoughts, but yea. I just knew.” He began petting his head in the way he liked. 

•

At dinner, they allowed Plagg inside. They set him a few bowls, both with water and some chicken they could spare from their plates. 

After their meal, Marinette was able to stream her favorite animated movie onto the tv. She was excited to be able to share it with Adrien after having mentioned it in passing when he was still held up in his room. Once on the couch, Plagg took a seat in his lap, as if no other place would suit him. She playfully rolled her eyes at the cats persistence to never leave Adrien’s side, and took her seat next to them. 

Although it was still fairly early, once the movie had ended she insisted he go to bed. His eyes were so heavy, he barely stayed awake to see the film end. After getting ready for bed, he told her goodnight and went into his room. Not a minute later the door was opening. She looked up to see Plagg standing on his hind legs opening the door and padding inside. That night Adrien slept peacefully until morning, with a purring cat at his feet.


	7. Chapter 7

The following morning, Marinette woke to quiet cabin. She silently made her coffee and stepped outside to sit on the steps mug and phone in hand.

She had a few missed calls, and from the sounds of things her neighbor and mom had bought her some time but the local officials were requesting her presence at the station as soon as possible. And as the string of voicemails continued, if the urgency of the messages were anything to go by she was running out of time before they would consider her a missing person. 

Marinette made a phone call. Although she was reluctant to have this conversation, she owed her mom some answers and Marinette Dupain-Cheng was no coward. Though at times through tears, she retold her previous days happenings and left out few details of the past months. Knowing her daughter’s propensity to have a bleeding heart, she was not surprised at all in the least to hear of her recklessness. With the favor that was made and the secrecy by which it was requested, Sabine had an inclination that what her daughter was up to was illegal, knew that if questioned she was resolved to remain tight lipped and had already disposed of all evidence that could lead the authorities to her daughter. If a need would arise she was prepared, Marinette was relieved to hear that such extreme measures were yet to arise. Simply telling the investigating officer that her daughter was out of town was enough to pacify him for the time being. Sabine knew that as much as Marinette was calling to answer and ask questions, she was also calling for support and confirmation she wasn’t acting irrationally. Mother did not disappoint daughter, she only hinted at her concern but knew the time to raise her daughter had come to an end and Marinette was responsible of her future. She had nurtured her daughter’s strong moral compass and was very proud of her decision. With that she sent her father her love. Then ended the call, Marinette was thankful she had such a supportive and understand mother. 

She made a quick call to the number in her voicemail, spoke to the officer working her case and verified her mother’s story that she was indeed out of town and very much surprised to hear of anyone in her apartment. She was not comforted to find out that several men had been spotted leaving the premise but were unable to be detained. She would be in touch and come in to the station as soon as she was back. 

She had just walked inside to pour more coffee into her mug when Adrien emerged from his bedroom door with his arms raised high in the air in a stretch, “good morning, Marinette.” He said through a yawn. Followed by Plagg, who stopped to arch his back into a stretch.

Sipping her fresh coffee, “good morning, you look well rested.” She laughed.

“I am. I didn’t wake up once throughout the night.”

She walked into the kitchen and began to heat a skillet. “I’m going to make breakfast, would you like to help?”

“Please, what can I do?” She directed him to take out the eggs and package of bacon.

After she toasted some bread, she proceeded to show him how to crack and cook an egg. He was a fast learner and was soon left in charge while she prepped the bacon. Adrien was extremely focused and resolved to achieve nothing but perfection. 

Breakfast was hearty and once done, they felt the need to start moving for the day. They both dressed and brushed their teeth, having decided to explore some trails. Marinette took a photo with her phone of a poster hung in the cabin outlining a map with trails marked for walking and biking according to difficulty, they put on their shoes, grabbed their keys and locked the cabin door behind themselves. 

Choosing a fairly easy trail that circled back seemed like the best choice. Plagg kept in step on the trail. 

The first change of scenery was an open field. Filled with overgrown grass and the occasional flower. Adrien was in awe. He stopped to study a bee who was jumping from flower to flower. She smiled and took his photo, his eyes open wide and his mouth a little open. He looked up when he heard the shutter. She scooted in next to him. With her hand out in front, he could see her reflection, so he mimicked her smile and they took a photo together. 

She came across a patch of flowers she found particularly interesting and snapped a few photos to help identify them later. 

Although never straying far, both explored what interested them separately. Further down the trail they found themselves back in the woods. Marinette found some mushrooms to be of interest when Adrien came running to her side. He took her by the hand, “Mari, you’ve got to see this!” And dragged her behind him. “Ok it’s just around the corner, close your eyes.” She complied and he ever so carefully guided her. She could hear the sound of water as they approached. “Ok, open..” she stood in front of a small stream, she didn’t need the support or guidance anymore but neither one wanted to be the first to let go. It was beautiful although without Adrien’s excitement she might not have appreciated the small things about it quite as much. They only let go of each other’s hand once they were settled on a large rock, watching the water flow. It wasn’t long before they took off their shoes and slipped their feet into the cold water. 

“How is it being out? I know it has to be better than that room, but is it living up to your expectations? Is it how you imagined?”

“To be honest, I never hoped to see any of this. I had long ago accepted my fate to being confined. It wasn’t until I met you that I had hoped to see the world you came from...” He shyly snuck a glance at her. She didn’t shift her gaze from the water, but grabbed his hand that was resting on the rock between them and placed it between her own in her lap . 

“I was contented with never being a part of the world. I had only ever seen ugliness from the people I knew. Although I had never left, I was allowed access to information and knew it better than anyone else in a way, with no pretenses.... You shown it in a different light, something new I hadn’t known existed.” She began to rub circles on the top of his hand. “For the first time I wanted to be acquainted with the world you showed me through your thoughts. When I had given up, you made me need to see this world. For the first time ever you gave me something to look forward to, I’ll forever be grateful to you for that. You gave me hope to dream.”

She turned her head to see him looking at her. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, “You deserve the world, but I’m afraid it’s not good enough for you.” She said through a smile. 

They sat in comfortable silence watching Plagg bat at small fish in the water, until their need for food betrayed them. Then they decided to head back for lunch. After allowing their feet to dry, they put their shoes back on and continued on the trail back to their cabin. 

Walking down the trail Adrien grabbed Marinette’s hand. It was a blatant act, he couldn’t hide behind the pretense of assisting her in any way. “Is this ok?”

“Shouldn’t you know?”

“No, because I stopped reading your thoughts the first night at the cabin. I wanted to respect your privacy...oh no, have you been trying to communicate with me in that way this whole time?! I should have told you sooner...”

She couldn’t contain her amusement and laughed, “no, I haven’t. But I assumed you couldn’t stop it. Thank you, that was very thoughtful of you.... and this,” she held up their hands for a moment, “this is more than fine.” She stole a look in the direction of his face and smirked. He interlaced their fingers and she saw him smile while looking on the path ahead. 

•

After lunch brought rain showers. They were very limited to activities inside the cabin so she introduced him to the concept of binging television shows. 

She grabbed a blanket from her room and he met her with a few snacks on the sofa. She spread the blanket out across her lap and asked if he was cold and wanted to partake in the warmth. He nodded while Plagg didn’t wait for Adrien to get comfortable before he jumped into his lap laying on top the blanket. They sat side by side while they both pet Plagg, who quickly purred himself to sleep. 

She asked what genre he was most interested in while they browsed the catalog of shows. Adrien excitedly gravitated towards cooking competitions. They wouldn’t have been her first choice for binging but who was she to tell him no? They very quickly got invested and rooted for favorite contestants. Three episodes in found them wiggling to get more comfortable. Plagg vacated to Adrien’s room. The two ended up with Adrien leaning further on the arm of the seat and Marinette laying with her feet in his lap. She fell into a comfortable nap 2 more episodes later.

Waking up, she found him completely enthralled with the season finale. She watched Adrien as he watched the timer count down for the contestants. He was so nervous, if she hadn’t already been awake she was sure his fidgeting would have woken her up by now. As the show progressed and neared the end he let out a sigh of relief and she couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her. “You are too cute.” She was almost sure the black tint on his cheeks took on a rosy glow as he gave a bashful smile.

•

The rest of the week past much the same. They continued to explore their environment as well as their friendship. But as much as she was enjoying the freedom that came with their joint isolation, she couldn’t just sit doing nothing. Adrien was adapting well enough. She loved the little world they were making. But it felt like it was only a matter of time before they were found out. It was time to tap her resources and make a move towards the future.


	8. Chapter 8

Marinette opened her eyes and saw her illuminated room. She stretched her arms above her head and arched her back. She could hear some rustling coming from outside of her room. 

She cracked open the door to see Adrien in the kitchen standing over the stove. She could barely hear one of his favorite songs and the smell of bacon filled the air. She opened the door and walked through. Her movement caught his eye, he turned around and smiled, then indicated for her to sit down on a stool. Utensils and napkins were already set out. 

Adrien fluttered around in the kitchen with ease. She watched him move around, orchestrating so naturally. A cup of coffee was placed before her accompanied by milk and cream. 

He turned and with his back to her, he continued to cook. Spatula in hand, he looked completely at ease. 

“Adrien, how do you know how to cook pancakes?” She asked looking over his shoulder from her seat. 

“I saw it on tv. Then looked it up on your phone... don’t get too excited until we try them.” He laughed while she stirred her coffee. 

He plated the food, placed them, then sat down beside her. “Bon appetite.” He said with a smirk, lifting his fork before he began cutting his pancakes and pouring the syrup. 

She sat wide eyed. 

“What? What’s wrong?” He said through a mouth full. 

“Nothing...” she said scrambling to pick up her fork. “This is great... thank you.”

“But you haven’t even tried them yet.”

She quickly took a bite. “They are great, but that’s not what I meant. This..“ she motioned with her hands around them, “is great.”

He smiled, “you’re welcome. Do you really like them? Do they taste ok?”

“They are my absolute favorite pancakes of all time. Thank you...I love it.” She took another bite. Once she swallowed and drank a sip of coffee, she started “So we need to talk about our next step. I contacted my best friend who has connections that can get us forged documents. I’ll definitely need a new passport with a new name, otherwise I’ll throw up some red flags when we try to leave...” 

“Marinette...” he stopped her and shook his head. “Where do you want to go? I can’t ask you to leave everything you’ve known behind... for me. You’re already in way over your head.”

“No, it’s fine. I have family we can stay with out of the country. Once we get out, no one will be able to touch us. The more distance we can get from here, the safer we will be. Even if they do find me, what can they hold me on? I did nothing they can prove, especially if they can’t find you. I’ll only use my forged document to get out undetected. Once placed, I can get a new job. You can stay hidden when necessary. We can get a place of our own after a while...”

“Do you really think this could work?”

“Yes, I do...” she placed her hand on his shoulder. “Everything will be ready by next week. But I need you to be on board. I don’t want to leave without your agreement. We are together in this.”

He stared off for a second. “Ok... let’s do it.” 

•

After breakfast, together they cleaned the kitchen and put away the dishes. They got ready for the day and Marinette started to notice her growing pile of dirty clothes. 

“Hey, I’m going to do a load of laundry. Bring me your clothes.” With her arms full, She walked from her room into the bathroom where the washer and dryer were tucked in a corner.

She was throwing the clothes into the washer when Adrien’s head popped in. “What are you talking about?”

“What do you mean? I’m doing the laundry. Bring me your dirty clothes.” His face looked really confused. “What don’t you understand? You can read minds. How could you not know that people need to wash their clothes? What did you think happened?”

“I don’t know. I never thought about it. When I had a need for clothes it always just disappeared and reappeared clean. I guess when facing a monster, recounting the intricacies of washing their clothes is the farthest thing from people’s minds.” He laughed and shrugged. 

She laughed, “please go get your dirty clothes.” He came back and set them in the washbasin as she had, then watched her adjust the machines setting. They were labeled and pretty straight forward enough that he understood the basics. 

While the load ran, outside they explored a new trail. Plagg chased butterflies, while they walked hand in hand. This physical touch, though minimal, was quickly becoming their new norm. So much that when one would approach, the others hand would gravitate out, without so much as a look of acknowledgement. 

Once that trail was exhausted, they made their way back to the cabin. Once inside Adrien made them a light supper consisting of sandwiches while Marinette put the clothes to dry. 

After they ate, they relaxed in their usual spots on the couch a comfortable distance apart. The tv was on but no one was watching it, when Plagg jumped into Adrien’s lap. Marinette scooted closers until their thighs touched and began to run her fingers through the cats fur.

Plagg began to purr. “He really likes that.” Adrien said as he put his arm along the back of the couch and around her shoulders.

She looked up, “he told you that?” She laughed. 

“No, but we like the same things. He likes having you close by.” He squeezed her tighter into his side and she snuggled into him, giggling. This was new. Adrien could have stayed that way forever. His whole world occupied that couch. He hoped it would always be this way. The thoughts of an uncertain future scared him. The thought of putting Marinette in danger for his sake, scared him more. They stayed that way for a while, watching whatever came on. 

“What’s it like turning into smoke?” Marinette asked breaking them from the trance. 

He thought about it for a second. “It’s second nature. At first it just started happening when I would get upset. After a while, I learned to do it at will. Then I found I did it when I needed an escape, when I was tired of existing. It was strangely comforting. It became.. just a thing I did. When scared. When I felt powerless. Initially when it began to happen, they would encourage my shift for study. It was the only thing I had any control over. I initially began staying that way to piss them off. As an act of rebellion. But when they couldn’t force me to turn back, they eventually lost interest in me, so I stayed. It made me feel powerful. It was the only thing I had.”

“Were you scared when you first started to notice you were different from everyone else?”

“I always knew I was different. I was never not studied. But when my skin started to change and show signs of being unusual, I was a child. I relished in the attention. As I grew, I became aware that it wasn’t normal to hear people’s thoughts. Mostly because the things I was hearing were unkind about me, while they continued to smile.”

She looked up at him and their eyes met. She turned, facing him and sat up with her legs folded below her on the couch. She stretched out a hand, “May I?” 

He nodded and sat forward.

She softly ran her fingers across the line on his cheeks that separated his skin tones. Her eyes shifted between the place she was exploring with the tips of her fingers to his eyes. Her fingers ran from the bridge of his nose one side down his cheek following the line, he closed his eyes and let out an uneven breath, her fingers then trailed back down the other side. She ran her fingers across the line on the front of his neck, she could see and feel him swalllow, then trailing her fingers up his face, she repeated the line across his face starting at his cheekbone. In one smooth line, slowly to the other side. She retracted her hand. She hadn’t anticipated the intimacy of the action and her cheeks flushed. He opened his eyes and they stared at each other. 

He repeated her words, “may I?” As he ran his finger tips in the same pattern across her face, his finger tips grazed over the red of her cheeks. She fought to not pull away, so she closed her eyes. From her nose to her ear. She was suddenly very aware of her breathing. Back on her nose down the other side, never losing contact his fingers traveled down to her neck. She was very aware of her rapid heart beat, but focused on his touch. Across her throat, he had to feel her pulse speeding there. Slowly back up the other side. Her cheeks felt so hot now. Tracing an imaginary line on her cheek and across her nose to her temple. It sent a chill up her spine. She slowly looked up at him with half lidded eyes. Praying he was respectful of her privacy and not reading her thoughts.

“I see more humanity in you than in someone that has never been called a monster...” She said as she cupped his cheek with one hand. He leaned into it. Then he cupped her face, bringing her forehead to rest against his. Their breath mingled.

They both closed their eyes, leaning on each other. “I know you’re being honest.” His voice low and deep. “You’ve given me information I’ve never before been privy to. Because, while in my presence,” he let out a small laugh, “you insist on explaining the details of the most mundane of your chores.” He peaked his eyes open to see a smile grow on her face, and she burst out in amusement as she sat up and bat at his shoulder. He only pretended to block her assault.


	9. Chapter 9

“Time to wake up.” He opened his eyes and the lights are flickering. He looked around the room to see his book case, his desk and chair. On the opposite side of the glass he saw a figure, so he backed up as much as he could until his back is against the wall. The figure, a tall man of a slender build has his arms crossed in front of his chest. His glasses are at the end of his nose and he looks so done. The most terrifying thing about him is that he doesn’t hide behind any pretense. He says exactly what’s in his mind. And it’s not good. But this isn’t right. He got out. Where’s Marinette? Was that all just a dream? “Transform. Anyone who knows you even exist hates you. No one is going to miss you. Just disappear. Transform.” Adrien looks down. His arms are covered in cables, wires, IVs. He’s strapped to a bed. Tried but can’t transform. People wearing medical masks are talking above him now. He’s trying to ask for information about what’s happening. No one is answering. They either can’t hear him or they are pretending not to. He tries to talk louder, tries to scream but nothing comes out. His breathing is labored. He can’t suck in enough air. He tries to move but the restraints are too tight. He’s stuck. Confined. Now he’s alone and the room is so small. There’s no door. And no one is around. It’s so quiet there’s a hum. The hum is getting louder. There’s not enough air in this room. just make the humming stop already. The lights go out. And the darkness is all around. There’s nothing. He’s nothing and no one even knows he existed to know to look for him. He won’t be found. He’s so alone. And no one cares. No one will be coming.... And he’s oddly ok with it now. He’s resolved with this being the rest of his existence. Only wishing it would end soon. “It’s ok. Everything’s ok. No one can hurt you anymore. You’re safe now...”

•

She woke up in total darkness and bolted up right. Looked around, she could place herself in her room as her eyes adjusted to the lack of light. She heard something from within the cabin, it must have been what woke her. As quietly as she possibly could, she cracked her door open to reveal nothing unusual for the middle of the night. Plagg wasn’t even roaming around. She shrugged and decided to fix herself some tea to help lull her back to sleep. 

She quietly tiptoed to the kitchen and set the kettle on the stove. Before the kettle could sing, she set her tea to steep in an oversized mug. She rested her elbows on the kitchen island, sitting on a stool and felt herself already getting tired again when she definitely heard a noise this time. The bathroom door was open with the light out and no one inside, so that left Adrien’s room. Abandoning her tea, she leaned in close to his door and could hear rustling inside. She cracked the door and whispered his name. Plagg ran out like something was chasing him. No answer but he began thrashing at the sheets. She threw the door open and ran to stand at the side of his bed. Shaking him by his shoulders she repeatedly called his name, but he wouldn’t wake up but he stopped fighting. She sat at the edge of the bed and ran her fingers through his hair. Whispering words of comfort. Plagg jumped back into the bed and curled around Adrien’s legs, purring loudly. 

“It’s ok. Everything’s ok. No one can hurt you anymore. You’re safe now...” Tears ran down her cheek as she placed a kiss on his forehead, “Adrien, what did they do to you?” she whispered. She continued trying to soothe him, running her fingers through his hair. His hands reached for her wrists and from the light leaking in from the kitchen she could see his eyes begin to crack open. One of her hands cupped his face though he never released his grip too afraid she would disappear. Her thumb ran back and forth over his cheek. “Hey, Hey, it’s ok.” Her other hand continued combing through his hair. 

“I was there. And no one was coming. And no one cared. And...” 

“Shh..” She shushed him. “It was just a dream. I’m here.” She leaned over and kissed his forehead again. He caught her gaze, “please stay... they will come for me again if I'm alone.” 

“Adrien, no ones here.” She tried to reassure him. 

“The dreams will come for me. Please stay.”

“Of course l’ll stay.” She lay down besides him. Facing each other, Her hands never left him. One wrapped above his head still in his hair the other cupped his face between his face and pillow. She began to hum a song they both liked. He placed an arm over her waist and pulled her closer, further grounding him. Reminding him of where he was and who he was with. He breathed a sigh of relief and eventually slowed. 

And lay like that for a while with their eyes closed. All noise and movement had stopped, yet both lay awake. aware of the fact that neither one was asleep. After an hour, Marinette turned on her her stomach and rested on her elbows, she looked down at him. “Can I show you something?” She shyly smiled as he looked into her eyes, “I can’t sleep, and I couldn’t help but notice you weren’t either.” She jumped out of bed. “Grab your jacket and shoes.” She said as she ran out of the room. 

When he emerged from his room, having complied to her demands, she was dressed with her jacket and shoes standing near the stove pouring hot chocolate into a big mug. She ran past him smiling, reemerged from the bathroom holding several blankets. “You’re in charge of these...” she said handing them off to him. She grabbed the mug and walked to the door. Balancing the hot chocolate in one hand she held the door open and he passed through. “Where are we going?” 

“Not far, watch the steps.” The area was quickly illuminated by her phones flashlight. They walked to a clearing behind the cabin, where she lay out a blanket. After they had a seat and were wrapped in blankets, she took a sip then handed him the mug. The hot chocolate almost burned going down in a pleasant way. It was hard to pinpoint if it was from the heat or the sweetness. 

She looked up at the sky “it’s not always like this. In fact, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen the night sky so bright before.” 

“Why is that?” He set the mug down in the grass and lay on his back. 

“The city lights don’t allow the dimmer stars to shine through.” She looked down and joined him, laying parallel. 

“They really are beautiful. No description I ever read in a book could ever do them justice.” 

She had never noticed the night sky could contain so many colors. “That’s our galaxy” she held her arm up and pointed. “That red star,” her arm shifted over. “Is a planet. I think it’s Mars.” Adrien scooted closer to better understand the path of her arm. The sides of their heads touched. She proceeded to draw and point out constellations she knew. When she had shared the extent of her knowledge, she shifted and lay on her side, facing him. When he did the same, he smiled. “Thank you. For everything. You didn’t have to do anything. But you’ve been a great friend.” He reached out his hand and she interlaced her fingers with his and hugged it to her chest. “It’s been my pleasure, Adrien.” She yawned, followed by his. They decided to turn in, this time together. 

•

Adrien was the first to wake and was initially surprised to have felt a warm body pressed against his side. He relished in the contact and the smell of her hair once realizing who it was. He didn’t dare move for fear of waking her, until her hair started to tickle his neck and he couldn’t take it anymore. He slowly raised the arm that wasn’t around her back and pushed her hair away scratching his neck. The movement must have been enough, because she made a small whine burying her face deeper into his chest and clung tighter to him. If he had known waking her would have produced such a result, he may not have postponed it. He began drawing circles into the back of her shirt with the hand that was behind her back. She whined again but lay there for a while enjoying the movement. “How late is it?” She asked.

“Later than we usually get up. It’s bright in here.”

She picked her head up and placed her chin on his chest. Her eyes were still sleepy but she cracked them open to look at him. “Any more bad dreams?”

“None...” he smiled and took notice of her hair sticking up in every direction. He ran a hand over the top to see how it would be affected, but it popped back up as soon as his hand left. 

“Good.” She lay her head on its side still atop his chest and could hear the beating of his heart coaxing her back to sleep. She gave a big yawn. He ran his fingers in her hair, before he gave a yawn of his own. Plagg jumped in the bed and began relentlessly meowing, demanding to be fed. They embraced for a few more minutes anyway.

•

Together they made breakfast, although it was just past lunch. They pretended not to notice how late it was. After sandwiches were packed and the kitchen was cleaned, they decided to explore a longer trail that would take them further from the cabin.

They studied the map and decided on which to take. Two that ran parallel, met up with the river. Once the paths met the river they weren’t far from each other. They would travel one, walk by the river bed a short distance until the met the other that would lead them home. 

They took turns carrying the bag that housed their food, jackets and other supplies. They walked hand in hand, enjoying each other’s company. Pointing out things they found interesting along the way. Marinette used the photo of the map on her phone as a reference for their progress when they thought they passed land markers. It took longer than they expected to make it to the river. But once there, they enjoyed their dinner by the running water. They decided to head back before it got too late. But the second path took longer to find than they had anticipated and the sun was moving across the sky faster than they would have liked. 

It was dusk and they were moving faster to get back while there was still some light to go by. Adrien could see better in the fading light, so he lead the way and guided Marinette by the hand. 

They heard before they saw it. The sounds of a growl surrounded them, then Marinette was left standing alone with an empty hand. She backed up but couldn’t see where to go. The back of her foot hit something and she tumbled backwards with a gasp. Her racing heart was the only thing moving. She was frozen in fear. Paralyzed by the lack of information to move on. Unknown to Marinette, she had been surrounded by a black fog. The sound of feral growls only grew louder. She felt and heard the air move as something leapt in the air towards her, only to be suspended midair. It clawed and growled then yipped before going silent. She heard nor saw anything in the now darkness. Breaking the silence, she heard the sound of something heavy being placed down amongst the rustling of leaves. She got as small as she could, bringing her knees to her chest and closed her eyes. She waited for her fate. 

She could feel a hand pry her arms from her legs. Opening her eyes she could make out a figure kneeling before her. She jumped to her knees and threw her arms around his neck and he squeezed her tight. “As much as I would love to celebrate not being eaten right now, we’ve got to move, princess.” He stood up taking her in his arms with him. “You can’t see and we need to move faster than you’re capable, ill cary you on my back.”

“Can you really see that much better than me?” She complied and he squatted low enough for her to climb on. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on. 

“Apparently, I can.” He started walking, picking up his pace. “I’ve never had anything to compare it to, but you seem to be currently at a disadvantage.”

They traveled in silence, not wanting to alert anymore animals of their presence and also not to labor his breathing anymore than necessary. 

When they arrived back at the cabin, Plagg was waiting by the outside of the door. They ensured he was inside for the night and both breathed a sigh of relief with the door locked behind them. 

“I’ve never been so happy to be inside...” Marinette looked over at him. “Oh my god, Adrien... “ she ran over and passed her hand over the spot of his shirt that was saturated in blood. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the bathroom. She let go of him in front of the toilet, pressed on his shoulders indicating for him to sit on the closed cover. Underneath the vanity, she found a first aid kit and opened it next to the sink. She riffled through the supplies to see what she had to work with. Wet a wash cloth and walked over to assess the damage. He had a already taken off his shirt and thrown it across the room in the direction of the washer. The first thing she noticed wasnt the wound but the splotchy patches of dark skin instead of the solid color she was accustomed to covering his body. Their eyes met, but she didn’t mention the new development. Instead focusing on her task, she knelt by his side. It wasn’t a deep cut. Just a long scratch that her position while he carried her had probably only agitated it, causing it to bleed more than it would have on its own. 

“What happened back there?” She asked as the wound was cleaned up, the bleeding was at a minimum.

“It was a big dog. Probably a wolf or a coyote but I don’t know the difference..” he winced slightly at the antiseptic. “I just acted, I really didn’t think about it. I was transformed before I knew it. He jumped in to attack and I caught him and drained him of his energy the same way I would absorb the electricity back in my room...” 

“Did you kill him?” She applied some gauze and medical tape to let it scab up and not bleed on his clean clothes. 

His eyes stayed glued to the floor. “No, I stopped before he was dead. Hopefully he will just sleep it off, but I’ve never done that before. I really can’t be sure.” 

She looked up at him and caught his eye. “You did what you had to. No one can blame you... Thank you for saving us.” She walked over to the drier, and grabbed him a clean shirt. 

Talking the shirt from her, he motioned to his chest. “It stared last week, and has only progressed since then... It never seemed like the right time to bring it up...” he put his shirt on. 

“I’ll go change in my room, you should finish changing and getting ready for bed as well...” she said, ignoring his last comment and how it hurt that he hadn’t shared that information willingly. But was forced into it after she saw for herself. 

• 

She didn’t see him when she went out to brush her teeth, his door was closed with Plagg no where in sight. She was torn, trying to decipher if he needed space or company. She decided it was probably best if she left him be. He had Plagg after all and his door was closed. 

She lay awake in bed with the light off, she stared at the ceiling. Wondering if she was imagining this distance between them. Questioning if it was the closeness she had imagined all along. Before she could decide what to think, she turned on her side to get more comfortable with her back to the door. 

There was a quiet knock. As it opened Plagg ran in, followed by Adrien who fidgeted with his pillow. She turned at the waist so her upper body was pivoted towards him, “Can we have a slumber party?” He asked. 

She patted the bed on the side closest to him. Plagg had already spun in a circle and lay down at the foot of the bed. Adrien climbed in to Marinette’s side, facing her back. “I’m sorry about today. That was reckless of us to stay out so late.” She initiated.

“Well yea... but it wasn’t intentional. You’re not to blame. Let’s just be more careful from now on.” 

“How did you get that scratch if you were transformed? I thought nothing could touch you?”

“I’m not sure...but It definitely happened when I was smoke. I guess I’m not indestructible in that form...” He slid his arm over her and pulled her flush against him.

She grabbed his arm and hugged it to her chest. “I’m so grateful your ok.”

He hummed in acknowledgement. She almost thought she felt a shy kiss to the back of her neck. They drifted off to sleep, exhausted after the days events.


	10. Chapter 10

They awoke in a tangle of limbs. Each one holding the other in a loose embrace. Not overpowering or possessive, but wanted and adored. Marinette wished it would be this way every morning for the rest of her life. She opened her eyes and saw his sleeping face not far from her own. She studied the slight curve of the end of his nose, the sharp line of his jaw, his perfect eyebrows that highlighted those emerald eyes that spoke to her of so many things all on their own. Even the black ribbon that ran across his eyes that previously served as a warning to exercise caution, she found endearing. She wasn’t sure if he was really as handsome as she thought or if her feelings made her biased. But it really didn’t matter to her. Adrien held a place in her life no one else had up until that point. She had boyfriends previous, but they paled in comparison to the feelings she was beginning to realize she held for him. She was convinced he was the strongest person she knew. To never break under the oppression of his past. And if he ever did, she was resolved to be there to put the pieces together. She hoped he felt the same way. She knew he was so very smart, but she wondered if he had enough emotional intelligence to understand the potential of their relationship. Wondered if he wanted the same things, as they sometimes toed the line to become something more. She could wait if she had to. She was insecure that his wanting her could be based on his lack of exposure to other women. She was aware of the risk of having her heart broken. He was that precious to her. She was walking in fully aware of the consequences and she would be there for all of it. They had time, and she fully trusted they would explore and be honest about it together. His eyes slowly opened, and she felt lost in them. The corners of his eyes lifted and she knew he had a smirk, though her eyes never left his to confirm it. “It’s a little late to be scared of me now...” he said pulling her from her thoughts. 

“Me scared of you? You’re the one who needs to worry...”

“Is that so? And why’s that?” He pulled her in with both arms and positioned her laying atop him.

“I have powers that have been yet to be revealed...” she wiggled her fingers and playfully opened her eyes wide. 

He spun them so he loomed over, with an elbow and a hand on each side of her head. “If you are referring to your powers of seduction, I’m afraid they are no longer a secret.” He gave a mischievous smirk before he lowered his head and began to rub his cheek against hers. “I have fallen a victim to you. What ever shall I do? I don’t think I’ll survive.” They laughed together as he continued, “It will be the most beautiful death imaginable.”

She squealed and squirmed under him. “It tickles! Stop!” He looked down at her through his bangs. “You need a hair cut...” she said through her giggles.

•

After coffee and breakfast, Adrien continued to pittle in the kitchen. While Marinette grabbed a stool, a pair of scissors and found a shady spot outside. 

“Adrien, when you get a second can you please come find me?” She yelled through the open door. 

A few seconds later he emerged onto the porch. Wiping his hands on a towel. “Have a seat please.” He complied. “This is long overdue, do you prefer it longer or shorter?”

“Shorter? It’s been so long since I’ve had a haircut..” 

“Shirt off, it will make it easier to clean up, and more comfortable for you.” He took it off and threw it in the grass a little ways away. She couldn’t remember, but it appeared his inky splotches had receded even more from the previous day. 

“How bad is this going to look?” He laughed. 

“Hold still....Well... i wouldn’t feel right charging, but you’re by far not my first haircut.” She positioned his head as she needed. “I’ve cut many of poor college friends hair, enough that I feel comfortable saying I know what I’m doing..” she laughed. 

She made her way around the side. She noticed his eyes were closed. He had a small smile on his lips and he was enjoying the feeling of her hands in his hair. The attention to detail meant so much to someone who had been given so little. She made her way to the front and held her breath as she cut his bangs. She noticed he did the same. After she was done, she wiped the hair from his nose gently. 

Finished, she took a step back to admire her work. He opened his eyes looking to her for approval. She smiled, “Very handsome!” He beamed and jutted his jaw out to the side fluttering his eye lashes for her to admire him better. 

once inside, she sent him to the bathroom to clean up. But before she left him, she removed his bandage and saw the wound had already healed enough it didn’t require additional attention. Closed the door behind her, she heard the shower turn on. 

She cleaned up, and brought everything inside by the time Adrien was coming out the shower.

“We are running low on groceries, wanna come shopping with me?” She asked while setting the stool back. 

“No, I think I’ll stay here. If that’s ok. But can you pick up a few things?”

Maybe he wanted some time apart. Being with someone nonstop after being isolated for so long couldn’t have been easy. With a few additions to her list, she went into town. 

•

A few hours later she returned. She wasn’t sure exactly when they would need to leave, so she bought enough food to last another week. She walked into the cabin carrying as many bags as possible. Wasn’t initially surprised to not see Adrien, he was maybe behind one of the closed doors in the cabin. He was around by the smell of food filling the air. One more run to the car to fetch her things and she was back in the kitchen putting them away. 

She was finished and he still hadn’t emerged. That was odd. She knocked on his door, but no sound came. She opened it to find it empty.

Her heart sank as she called his name. 

No answer. 

Her heart began to race. Was he ok? Did something happen to him? She shouldn’t have left him alone. How could have been so reckless? Did he run away? She hadn’t seen him outside when she pulled up. Did he not want to be with her anymore? Her breathing became labored. 

She was running out the door in a panic when she ran into a broad chest and two arms engulfed her to steady the pair. “Whoa, everything ok?” Tears ran down her face as their eyes met and she threw her arms around his neck. 

“I was so worried. I’m sorry I panicked. I couldn’t find you, and I was so scared something had happened...” he held her tighter as she rambled on. 

“Shhh. It’s fine... I’m sorry. I hadn’t heard you arrive, otherwise I would have come sooner. Do you need help unpacking the car?” She shook her head no, not pulling away from their embrace. “Here I was picking these for you.” She pulled back to see him holding a fistful of clover. “They are just like the ones you gave me” he smiled brightly showing her. She wiped her eyes embarrassed over her dramatics.

She smiled, “thank you, they are beautiful.”  
The significance wasn’t lost on her. Of all the flowers Adrien had access to, he chose these because of the fond memories they had attached to them. 

“Come, I made you something special. Go freshen up and I’ll get it ready.” 

After calming down and freshening up in the restroom, she came out to the surprise of the table set with candles lit and her flowers in a cup on the center of the table. Her meal was waiting for her with steam billowing into the air. Everything looked so lovely. 

Approaching the kitchen, she found Adrien fixing his plate. She pulled out a bottle of wine. “I bought this for the night before we leave, but this is much too nice to not drink now!” She popped the top and poured two glasses. Adrien waited for her and pulled out her chair. They laughed at his being over the top. 

“Adrien, this is beautiful. It smells so good. Where did you learn to cook this?” 

“All those hours in front of the tv are paying off.” He laughed. 

They ate and talked about some happens the other would find interesting which occurred while they were apart. After they had finished, she held up her glass and indicated he do so as well. “Cheers, to such a lovely night!” She tapped her glass to his and they both took a sip. 

Continuing to drink, she poured the last of the wine into their glasses, their gaze met. A playful smile played on her lips, “so what pray tell, what was this special occasion?”

“I wanted to give you something nice. To thank you, and show just how much you mean to me. I hope it was ok.”

“It was beautiful and everything was fantastic. Thank you.” She smiled shyly.

He reached over and took her hand in his. “You mean so much to me. I want you to understand that.”

“I know. You mean a lot to me too.”

“You know, I never understood love. The concept was always for foreign. I never understood why anyone would sacrifice for another, I never wanted to put anyone else's needs and feelings above my own... until I met you. I would hear about these priorities and they never made sense to me. I never cared about anyone’s wellbeing but my own.... but now I get it. Nothing can happen to you, Marinette. I feel this overwhelming urge to protect you...” they held each others hand, their eyes were locked on one another. “that’s why I need you to leave. You should go back home alone. You can’t leave your friends, your family, your life. It’s too much. We both understand that this was only a temporary solution and they will find us.. no matter where we run... We can’t stay together. As selfish I want to be... to keep you... god, I want to keep you so bad...for your safety we can’t.” Her face morphed into a look of hurt, it looked like she had been slapped. 

“You can’t mean that. We had a plan. Everything will be ok. We just need to stick t...”

“Marinette, you don’t know that. You don’t know the length of their reach or what they are capable of.”

Tears were filling the rim of her eyes, threatening to spill once more. “And what will become of you?”

He began to rub patterns into the back of her hands. “I’ll be fine. I’ll live wherever I please, come and go as I want. I’ll stay transformed, feed off of energy and no one will be the wiser.”

“Is that what you want?”

“What I want doesn’t matter when it comes to protecting you.” He stood and raised her out from her seat with him. Wrapped his arms around her, his forehead found hers. His eyes searched hers.

“Can we talk about this later? We don’t have to make a choice now.” Knowing she could convince him to stay with her if she was given the time to plead her case. “Let not ruin such a lovely evening.” She closed her eyes for a few seconds as her arms found their way up his shoulders. 

“Let us have tonight.” His eyes glanced between her lips and eyes a few times. 

She leaned forward and closed the distance. He leaned forward to make it more comfortable. She kissed him slowly. Gently. As he let her. Enjoying the softness of her lips pressing against his own. He swallowed then began moving his own hesitantly. He was bashful. And sweet. She was willing to give him all the practice he wanted. As his confidence grew, he became needier. He gently cradled her face with his hand. Having the foresight that if this continued for much longer, it would get uncomfortable for both of them, she broke the kiss. Dropping his hand away, Adrien’s eyes remained closed as he stood there processing what had happened. She grabbed him by the hand, awakening him from his thoughts. He looked at her with questioning eyes. 

She smiled sweetly, “would you like to watch a movie?”

He slowly nodded but knew he wouldn’t be capable of focusing on the television. He felt drunk, but knew it had nothing to do with the wine. She put on a movie, knowing full well no one would be watching. They sat on the couch, side by side. The opening credits rolled and Marinette waited for Adrien to make a move. She wanted him to want this too. He grabbed her hand and interlaced his fingers with hers. she gave him a side glance. He smiled. Leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on her neck. She turned her head and they rested their cheeks together. The air was charged as they breathed it in. Their hearts beating a fast rhythm.

“I’m being so selfish...” 

“Please... be selfish...” She was the first to look up, he quickly caught her eye as he leaned in and captured her lips. Closing his eyes, he swore he could feel butterfly wings taking flight inside his chest. They kissed several long paces before she broke, not going far, but positioning herself on his lap, her knees on each side of his legs. She needed to feel more of him. He was grateful because he was sure he was floating until that point. With his hands on her thighs, he curled his fingers then rubbed his thumb back and forth, enjoying the resistance of the muscle under his palm. He shyly looked up at her from under his brow. She leaned in and proceeded to place a kiss on the center of his forehead. She pulled back to see his eyes closed. Raising her hands to his face, she held his face and tilted it higher so his eyes were level with hers. She tilted his face to the side and placed a kiss on his cheek. Straightened his face and repeated the action on the other side. With his eyes still closed but facing forward again, she kissed the tip of his nose which made him laugh and open his eyes. “You’re so beautiful...” she told him. 

His hands went to her waist and he pulled her closer, “funny, I was just thinking the same about you.” Her hands went to the back of his head and ran through his hair. She dove in for another taste of him. They continued to explore the each other in this way well after the movie was over. Until Adrien held her in a tight hug. “If only our circumstances were different and life were fair...”

“We can’t change what they are, but we can control how we are affected. There will be plenty of time for us.” She lay her head on his shoulder sleepily where he kissed the top of her head. 

But Adrien was resolved to protect her. And the only way he knew how was to separate himself. He couldn’t let her talk him out of it. He wanted to stay so badly, he knew he could be easily swayed. So not giving her the chance, after they were tucked away in bed. With one last kiss goodbye to a sleeping Marinette, he left.


	11. Chapter 11

When she opened her eyes and he wasn’t there, she knew. She prayed she was wrong, but that didn’t make the fact that he wasn’t there any less of the truth. She didn’t even call his name, she only walked the empty cabin for verification. Marinette wasn’t stupid. After he mentioned leaving, she knew this was a possibility. And if there was any hope left, it vanished when she saw the paper and pen at his seat in the kitchen. The chair was pushed out. If she hadn’t known any better, she could have thought he had just been there and gotten up but a moment ago. 

“You have to know that I love you. Maybe in a different life we could be together. Thank you for giving me all that we shared. Forever yours, A.” 

But he wasn’t hers. What good was it to have claim over his heart if she never saw him again. It hurt. It didn’t matter that he wanted stay if he didn’t. It may have hurt less if she didn’t know her feelings were reciprocated. She had set herself up for this and always knew it was a possibility. She didn’t regret giving him herself. But she hadn’t anticipated it would hurt this much. The tears started to fall. She walked back to her room and crumpled into her bed. He had been there only a few hours prior. She could still smell him and clung to that. She cried. She mourned him, what they had, what they could never have. And when she had no more tears, she stared at the walls. She felt as though she had no energy. No will to get up. So she stayed In bed the entirety of the day. Broken hearted for the boy she loved and their situation. She regretted not telling him that she loved him. She knew that he knew she did, but what if he goes his entire existence never hearing it? What if time manipulated his perception of the facts and he questioned how she felt. She regretted not giving herself fully to him. If she had only known it would have been their last night together. She would have done more, said more. After sometime she fell asleep, hoping everything to be different when she awoke. But it wasn’t. She found Plagg sleeping against her legs. He raised his head when he felt her shift. Her body was rebelling against her lack of care. She felt hungry but was still too nauseated and disinterested to eat anything big. She lay something out for Plagg and grabbed something small for her only to quiet the hunger.

She imagined how Adrien would live his life like a ghost. The world existing unaware of his presence. It made her so upset to think of his solitude amongst the living. But she felt some comfort in knowing he was out of his last situation. She knew she could continue living knowing he was free to do the same. She was choosing to see the brighter side of their situation. It still stung that it wouldn’t be together. But it was his decision and she had to accept it. But what if he changed his mind? She had to give him time. It was then she decided to stay a few days, incase he came back to her. 

There she found herself moping around the cabin. As she drank her bottle of wine, she would wonder where he was. If he was doing ok. If he was happy with his decision. Sometimes when she slept she could swear she felt him holding her. But she would wake to find it had only been a dream. 

She missed him so much. But everything was going to be ok. She would give him two more days. She needed to give herself two more days to come to terms with her future. Then she would return to her apartment in the city. To her life before she met him. 

•

She started packing their things to leave the cabin in the required state. She wasn’t sure what to do with his clothes. She fought with the idea of leaving them for him, but couldn’t stand the thought of someone coming through and disposing of them. So she left them out in the open until her mind was made up at a later time. She was glad he must at least have taken his shoes, because they were unaccounted for. She was proud of herself for being so logical about the whole thing. That was until she saw his toothbrush, and she lost it. She fell to the floor and cried. It had been a few days, but she allowed herself this set back in her progress of accepting the situation. She wanted to pout and throw a fit. So she cried out her frustration. She felt like she was giving up. It didn’t sit right with her but her back was against the wall. She couldn’t wait forever. She had already waited too long. 

•

She was awoken from her sleep by a loud noise. She sat up on the couch, to see Plagg run into her room. The loud noise banged again, this time she located it the front porch. Her heart leapt, and her adrenaline ran. What was that? Was someone trying to break in? She was a lone woman in the middle of the woods. For all she knew she was a sitting target for anyone looking for a good time. But what if it was Adrien? What if he was hurt? She ran to the window on the side of the door and peaked out. She could see silhouettes in the darkness. Several. But it was too dark to make anything out. Then the door burst open and men dressed entirely on black holding guns were running inside. 

She stood with her arms up and back to the wall in shock. one stood guard in front of her. She watched as a few filed into each room. Searching for something. Once the place was cleared, they accumulated back into the main living area. Guns still at the ready. They called out an all clear. 

In walked a tall slender man. He carried himself with authority. “Have a seat.” He motioned to the couch. She was grabbed by her upper arm and man handled to the sofa where he stood looming over her. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng...Where is he?”

“Who?” She asked scanning the crowd of armed men.

“You know damn well who I mean...” he walked over to a pile of his clothes she had yet to put away.

“He’s not here...”

“You can cut the shit. We know he’s here.” He said throwing a shirt that belonged to Adrien towards her.

She sat up straighter. “He was, but he left... I swear he’s not here.”

“You make a terrible babysitter...and where am I to believe has he gone?” He stepped closer. 

“I... I don’t know. I just know that he left. I woke up one morning and he was gone. He left a note and disappeared.” 

“I don’t believe you... why would he leave you? Did he think his chances were better off without you?” He reached down and grabbed her by the chin, holding her face tight. Making her look up at him. 

“He thought he could save me from you. That I would be of no use to you if he wasn’t around.” 

“Well, he didn’t give us enough credit. We can always find some use for you...” his grip on her face tightened. She closed her eyes. Pushed backwards, tried to get free of his grip. 

A thick black fog rolled into the room. A disembodied growl was heard from every corner of the cabin. As the fog moved across the room, it fully enveloped person after person, leaving them laying on the floor in its wake. 

The man standing before Marinette let go and stumbled backwards. She stood and began to run towards the front door. With the fog rolling towards him, he raised a hand gun. The sound of a gunshot rang loud in the room. Marinette fell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, I’m not making any friends with this chapter...


	12. Chapter 12

The week prior had been hell. He knew he was torturing himself, but thought he deserved it. He just sat and watched her. He didn’t have a mode for transportation and wasn’t in a hurry to get anywhere. He deemed it his penance. To be within arms reach of the woman he so desperately loved, but had to find the strength to deny them both. So he stayed hidden in the shadows. He had no idea how long she was planning on sticking around, but wished she would forget him soon and move on. End their suffering. 

Every time she cried and he couldn’t do anything to comfort her, his heart broke. He silently cried alongside her. He knew he would never be capable of loving anyone the way he loved her. She didn’t fill his heart, at this point she made up the fabric that was his heart. He would never be whole again without her. But he was resolved to live the rest of his days broken. It was at times when his hands were tied and she was falling apart that he questioned his actions the most. But he would do anything if for her benefit. So he stayed strong for the both of them, when he knew she was at her lowest, although it tore him up inside. 

When he had transformed for the final time, he made sure he was wearing the essential things he would need Incase he had to manifest in a public place to attract the least amount of attention. He also hid a few things to remember her by. One being a shirt she probably wouldn’t miss, that still smelled like her. He planned to collect these things upon her leaving. He prayed it would be soon. 

On the occasion she seemed to be taking his absence the hardest, he allowed himself to hold her while she slept. He never transitioned to his physical form just in case, but it seemed effective all the same. He could tell she slept soundly that way. He told himself it was for her benefit, although he knew the contrary to be true. He would have fought the devil himself if it meant he could have changed their circumstances. But it wasn’t to be, he constantly reminded himself. 

He wasn’t sure if Plagg could sense him. But he allowed himself the luxury of petting his fur. To which he would immediately purr. He wondered what would become of his friend. If Marinette didn’t take him with her, Adrien was resolved to be his guardian.

A few times he questioned himself. Was he right in leaving? Was he doing wrong by her by watching her suffer? letting her believe she was alone in this misery? But in the end, he remained steadfast in his decision. And put her safety above all else. He was gifting her with the normal life she deserved. He was terrified of the life she would be forced into if he had stayed. She didn’t need him and the complications he would bring. He didn’t want to struggle to fill the role of a partner for her, when she deserved so much more. This was best. This is what they needed. 

•

The night of the raid, he was watching her sleep. Careful to mind his movements, to not disturb anything and alert her of him. Dozing off himself, he was startled by the noise. He watched her sit up and make her way to the door, then the window. When the door flew open, he was on guard but stopped himself short of intervening. He was going to allow this scene to play out. They would find him missing and leave her alone. So she could live her life in peace. He stood out of the way by the front door, watching. 

He recognized the man who walked in, both from his nightmares in waking life as well as slumber. He knew him to be cruel and had little patience. 

The first time Marinette was roughly handled, Adrien was barely able to show restraint. Choosing instead to focus on listening carefully, and resolving to handle this situation at a later date. kill this man away from Marinette. And the possibility of her being wrongfully accused. 

The second time someone touched her, Adrien lost his mind...

•

Blind rage. Not only was she being mishandled on his account. But he had unnecessarily put her through so much pain for him to show up anyway. He was wrong. After all he had done, he wasn’t able to protect her. He saw red and the world fell away. 

•

Marinette had never felt such pain. Her leg felt like it was kicked out from under her. She lay on the floor, her body folded in on itself without her consent. She felt like an outsider watching her body move of its own accord. When she found the strength to open her eyes, her hands reached for her thigh. They were immediately covered in blood. Her blood. She felt sick. She needed to throw up. She wished she could pass out from the pain. She wanted to be anywhere but in her body. She looked up and imagined she was there. Focus. Hovering in the corner of the room. Focus.. she was there. She could see herself laying on the floor curled into itself. She could see her assailant levitating off the floor, gasping for breath, his hands reaching but unable to touch his own throat. Then he dropped to the floor in a crumpled heap. In a fit of coughs. 

She was brought back into herself when her body was shaken. She felt two arms holding her tight. She was getting so tired now. Then his face came into focus. “My love, please listen. It’s going to be ok. Do you trust me?”

She nodded and couldn’t look away from his eyes.

“Good.” He smiled as his tears fell onto his cheeks. Then he stole a last kiss from her lips which then broke into a pained smile. He gently placed her back down, then proceeded to stand and walk towards the staggering mess of a man he had already confronted. 

“make me a deal,” Adrien shoved him against the wall to get his attention. “Save her and you can have me....” 

The man looked up at Adrien, where neither looked away but sought sincerity in each other. The man leaning against the wall for support waved an arm in the air. A man in black approached. 

“Her first. I need to see it before I will go.”

Another man knelt down besides her with a duffle bag. He pulled out medical scissors and a tourniquet. He got to work applying pressure and treating her wound.

She looked up with wide eyes and a pale face. “No, you can’t. You can’t go!” The panic increasing in her voice. “You can’t go back! You promised you wouldn’t go back! Adrien, You promised!” Their eyes met and he gave her a small smile. As two men roughly grabbed him by each arm. All three stumbled.

“Sorry, princess...” he mouthed to her as he allowed them to drag him out of her line of sight. 

“You promised me.” She whispered as tears fell down her cheeks. 

• 

In the back of an unmarked windowless van, within a metal cage reinforced by steel bars they placed him. He said nothing but appeared to disappear as the man nursing his sore neck spat at him, hoarsely swearing obscenities and closed the rear door. 

Miscalculated. He had been wrong. Adrien wasn’t too proud to admit his failure. But he would be damned if he would repeat them. His absence had accomplished nothing. If he had learned anything it was that he needed to be nearby in order to be an asset to her, she had to be aware of his presence. He could not wait in the shadows. They were sorely remiss to think they could use her as a pawn to control him. The one thing he held above all else, and they intentionally hurt her to get to him. His blood boiled. Yet, they had time. She needed time to heal. 

Adrien had time.

He could wait. If there was one thing they had unintentionally taught him, it was how to wait until the opportune time arose. He would wait for justice. Not justice dealt by the law, but by a swift hand when least expected. For the first time in his life he felt that the people responsible for his existence had given him a gift. Something he would cherish for always. Something to look forward to.


	13. Chapter 13

Marinette woke alone in a room. The first thing she noticed were the lights were dimmed and the blinds were down. She was laying in a bed that wasn’t her own. She looked around the room to see a vacant sofa and a tray table at the side of her bed. She positioned herself to sit up when she noticed wires and IVs connecting her to a monitor and IV pole. She found the button that allowed her to sit the bed up, and pressed a call button that had an icon of a nurse. 

A minute later a nurse came in rolling a machine. “Do you know where you are?” 

“A hospital, I presume...”

“Correct, when you arrived you were going in and out of consciousness. You had a bullet in your thigh, you went into surgery and we were able to remove and suture your wound. You’re on some pretty heavy pain medication, so do not try to get up.” She documented her vitals, told her to press the call button if she needed, and put the room phone within her reach before walking out. 

The first thing she did was call her mom. Her parents had already been notified and were on their way. Less than an hour later they walked into her room. Her mom rushed to her bedside and grabbed her hand. Her dad stood on the opposite side of the bed and put a hand on her shoulder. Both stressing the amount of relief they held for her safety. 

They discussed her health status and what the staff’s expectations were for her stay in the hospital. She told them roughly what happened. Leaving out any details they would find too unbelievable. After they had visited, they left so she could get some rest while they gathered her things from the cabin. 

• 

He noticed the new addition of steal bars over the glass after being placed in his old room. No one visited him the first few days. The fact that they didn’t want him for any other reason than to prohibit him from his potential abilities was infuriating. They had no claim over him. No purpose for him. Now that he had tasted freedom, he itched to be outside with the living. He found time inside unbearable knowing what he now knew. 

•

She had moved from post op, to the icu, to her own hospital room. A routine of exercises to maintain range of movement for her leg was begun. She was even on minimal pain medication. significant progress was being made. On the spectrum of getting shot, she was on the lucky end, if there was one. Even with as fortunate as she had been, she was still recovering above expectations. She was determined. And although she revealed her motivation to no one, she was getting out of that hospital as fast as she could. She had a boy to find. 

Tom and Sabine has packed up the things from the cabin and brought them to her apartment along with a black cat they had heard enough about to know they couldn’t leave him. 

She had never been so glad she had previously had no major expenses and was financially responsible to have enough means and foresight to have her rent automatically withdrawn from her account. Paying rent had been the farthest thing from her mind, but she was grateful to have a place to return to. 

• 

It was too long until someone came in to see Adrien. He knew they are doing it as a form of punishment. He had lived here far too long for a little vacation away to repress these moments. He used this time to refine some skills. He was no longer the scared boy of the past. Who was living with the cards he had been dealt. He currently had a different outlook. He was going to take everything they gave him and use it to his advantage. right now that was time. He pushed the bounds of what he had known and found new lines.

•

On the side of her bed within a basket, Marinette was amassing quite a collection of books, magazines, her laptop, knitting needles and yarn, anything she could think of to fight the boredom when she was alone. Although she had plenty of friends and family visit regularly, she was left with a lot of downtime. 

Rummaging through the basket she pulled out a knitting project she had started long ago. She could use this time to finish, being she had nothing better to do and needed to do something with her hands. She couldn’t find the second needle. Digging deeper she came across a green book at the bottom of the basket. Knitting project set aside, she lovingly ran her fingers over the cover, knowing the owner of the book had much done the same. Not interested in the content within from the passage she had previously read, she still felt a connection to him simply being with something she knew he treasured. The book opened to a section of pages on its own from items it held between them. A few flowers and leaves were pressed within. The first flowers Adrien had ever seen that she had given him. A tear ran down her cheek at the memory. What seems like it happened so long ago was maybe only two months, but it was hard to remember a time he wasn’t in her life. She wondered how he was doing held up in his cell. And hoped she would see him soon. 

•

She was never not on his mind. But the things he allowed himself to dwell on were her laughter, her kindness, her love. Rarely did he allow himself to dwell on the things that called him to action. Because the time simply wasn’t right. But occasionally... He remembered the taste of her lips. The softness of her touch. The healing power of her presence. As much as he was a beast, she was the one who could tame him. He was the power, she was his strength. And to think that someone tried to take her from him made him feel the need to become something he wasn’t sure he could ever be forgiven for. So he weighted his options. With the world at his fingertips, what did he want to do? He knew exactly what he wanted to do. What they deserved. But what would she have him do? He couldn’t live in a world where she thought less of him. There would be no point. Especially if she never wanted to see him again. He wanted her approval so badly. But would a threat be enough? He need to be out, but left alone. If there was any hope they would be together, he needed her to be left alone as well. He needed to be able to live with himself and what he had done. The possibilities he was capable of were limitless, but the acceptable number were finite. He would figure it out for her, for them. 

•

The local police paid her a well fair visit in response of the previous break in of her apartment. she was questioned about her wound although her job covered it up with a falsified report. She was told her apartment had been cleared and she was safe to return as soon as she was released from the hospital which was due to be any day now. She was only slightly surprised no one from her job had visited or threatened her with silence. But was happy she didn’t have to deal with that for the time being. 

•

Adrien hadn’t seen the man who was responsible for bringing him back to the facility in the whole three weeks he had been back. He had barely seen anyone. But when he did it was only briefly and from what he understood they weren’t allowed any communication with him.

Finally when he did enter, his face was stern and his shoulders back as always. He carried an electric pad for documentation and was typing on it for a while after he entered the viewing room. 

“I hope you enjoyed your little excursion. You won’t ever get an opportunity like that again.” He looked up into the room.

He was met w silence. He scanned the room for any sign of Adrien. “Care to tell me what you were up to for nearly 3 weeks?”

Minutes of silence....

“We can play the old games like we used to. I still remember all of your favorites... thanks to the incompetence of others I’ll be back in your life for the foreseeable future... Transform already. I want to see your attempt at being human...”

No sign of life was seen in the room...

“Want to tell me about your little friend?.... do you reflect on her often? ... You can’t honestly believe she cares for a thing like you. I don’t doubt her interest was peaked knowing her background. But you’re nothing more than a curiosity at best... she merely wanted to selfishly study you. She was always submitting requests for further run tests. Which she was denied due to funding... and everyone else having already given up on you. It’s obvious to anyone she stayed with you to further her field of study...”

Nothing..

He exhaled. “We can have it your way.” pinched the bridge of his nose, momentarily suspending his glasses above his nose. “If you don’t want to abide with my questioning. I’ll simply pay her a visit... I can introduce her to your favorite games.” 

No progress seemed to be made by way of antagonism... 

“I wouldn’t mind an excuse to see her pretty face... I may even request our meeting be over dinner. Force her to dress up. Tell her that her future career depends on it...”

By all accounts he still seemed unsuccessful to force him to comply.. 

“Have it your way. I’ll be back in a few weeks time... I’ll send a detailed update for you on the progress I’ve made with your friend. She will undoubtedly find your behavior and attachment to her hilarious.”

He picked up his tablet and made for the door, only to find the handle wouldn’t budge. The lights dimmed significantly more. If the man hadn’t been accustomed to the lights already being low, he would have thought they were off entirely. He looked down to realize he couldn’t see his feet. Anything from his knees below were obstructed from view by a thick black smoke. the pace of his heart started to pick up but he refused to panic. He jiggled the handle again with no success. He reached for his phone and began to unlock it, but he was beginning to panic. With shaking hands it fell through the fog to the floor. At this point he didn’t care how Adrien was doing it, he knew what was happening and it was terrifying enough. The boundaries between them were no more. he was being toyed with and completely now at his mercy. He knelt to the floor in search of his phone. On his hands and knees. Frantically searching. Needing contact with the outside. But his phone was nowhere to be found. 

He felt a pressure at his neck as he was hoisted upright. He reached for his gun. His only saving grace and fired blindly until his clip was out of bullets. In the reflection of the dimmed lights he could see 3 of the bullets suspended in air. He had hit a mark. He could only pray it would be enough to save him.


	14. Chapter 14

He felt a pressure at his neck as he was hoisted upright. He reached for his gun. His only saving grace and fired blindly until his clip was out of bullets. In the reflection of the dimmed lights he could see 3 of the bullets suspended in air. He had hit a mark. He could only pray it would be enough to save him. 

The bullets levitated together for a few seconds then fell. The sound of them hitting the ground rang through the room. The silence that followed was deafening. He was unsure what that meant. Had he hit his target? Was he free to go? He didn’t have to wait too long for his answer in the form of a pillar of smoke building up upon itself and a figure emerging from the vapor. He was in trouble... deeply in trouble. He backed himself into the wall behind him. His eyes wide. As the figure matched him step for step until there were no more and he was stood in front of. Adrien took the gun from his shaking hand without a fight. And dropped it off to the side. They stared into each other’s eyes for a while. One frozen in panic, the other simply observing. When Adrien had had enough, he outstretched his arms and grabbed the man by the face with his thumb resting before his ear and his palm cradling his head. He dared not to move. Adrien’s eyes closed and upon reopening showed only white. The mans eyes rolled back into his head and through his mind, Adrien shared his pain, isolation, fear, abandonment, and depression of 26 years. They stayed there no more than a few minutes, but it was too much and the man begged him to stop. A single tear rolled down Adrien’s cheek as he made him withstand just alittle more.

With his eyes rolling back into his head he grasped at Adrien’s hands unsuccessfully attempting to remove them. “Please... please stop. Make it stop. I can’t take anymore...” and with that he released him and stepped back. The man crumpled onto the floor and loudly wept. Adrien watched. And when he had seen enough, he stepped over him. Opening the door, he walked out. 

Down the hallway with his head held high. No longer in fear, in direct opposition to last time. He walked through the open doors and begged anyone to attempt to stop him. Anyone he came across stood paralyzed and said not a word. But moved aside to give him room. 

Once outside, within a second he vanished. Like a cloud of fog, he could be seen rolling quickly out of sight. 

•

Marinette sat on the edge of her hospital bed, awaiting the nurse. Now allowed in her clothes, everyday she waited for news of her discharge, only for it to be postponed for some unknown reason. She suspected the situation that led to be hospitalized had something to do with it. Tiring of waiting she swung her legs back over and rested her head against the upright back. With her head held skywards, she closed her eyes and tried to quiet her thoughts of loneliness. 

She felt two arms wrap around her shoulders embracing her into a hug. She opened her eyes wide in surprise, looking forward to see Adrien taking his physical form. She squealed and hugged him tightly to herself half afraid she was imagining him out of despair. They sat on her bed hugging for a few moments until he pulled back to look at her face. She beamed up at him. “How did you get out? Are you ok? I was so worried about you... tell me I’m not dreaming. Tell me you’re real.” She closed her eyes and their foreheads met. “I’ve thought of this moment for so long. Wishing you here. Thinking I could conjure you up with my thoughts alone...”

“I’m here, I’m fine, they couldn’t keep me from you.” He closed the distance with a kiss. “I don’t think we will be bother for a while, if ever. We have a mutual understanding...” she looked at him with widening eyes.. “no ones dead.. although I would be a liar to admit I never thought about it...” He smiled at her, not baring the thought of looking away. They sighed contently basking in each other’s embrace. “How are you? How much longer are you here for? How is your wound?”

“Im all healed. I don’t know. They suspected I would be free to go three days ago, yet here I am with no explanation as to the hold up.” She pouted.

“We are going...” He stood and assessed her IV and wires connecting her to machines. “What are these? Do you need them?”

She shook her head. “I haven’t had anything in them in days.” Having had his fair share of unwanted IVs, he was well aware of the intricacies of their removal. He carefully removed the wires, cables, and blood pressure cuff. Once loose, he wrapped his arm around her back and under her knees and lifted her off the bed. Waking from the bed to the door, he passed a nurse who was on her way into the room.

He twisted his body to bypass her through the entry, “The people you report to have already been notified, but if there is any need for clarification please reiterate that this woman and her wellbeing is the only thing keeping everyone else alive. And if she is so much as looked at again, I will not hesitate for hell to rain down. ... do NOT test me. Can you remember this,” His eyes fell to her identification tag, “Karen?” 

She nodded with eyes big and surprised. He nodded once in recognition and carried Marinette out. “I can walk, you know?” She whispered. 

“Not while I’m around.” He kissed the top of her head continuing into an elevator.

She laughed and cuddled in closer to him. “This is a better method, I suppose... I’ll allow it.” She smiled and pressed her face into the bottom of his neck. Where he reveled in the long yearned for contact, he held her tighter to him. 

Once outside they became aware of a hole in their plan to escape. The lack of transportation was blatantly obvious. He sat them on a bench with her seated in his lap...   
“Hum, so what now, Romeo?” With her arm still around his neck, she laughed and kissed his cheek. “How bout you go back to my room and get my phone?” 

He set her on the bench on his right side and kissed her cheek back, “you always know what to do... that’s why I need to keep you around..” he teased. “You’ll be ok by yourself for a second?” 

She nodded and with that he went back inside. A few minutes later, he emerged with her basket of things in hand. She fished out her phone and dialed a number.

“Hey mom, I need a ride. Do you think you can pick me up from the cafe across from the hospital?.... yea, I’m out... ok thanks! You too. Bye!”

“We have some time...” She stood lacing her arm through his, she began to lead him to a cross walk but after taking a few steps he refused to move anymore. Their contact broke. “Here, you’ll have to carry your things..” he held out her basket.

“Ok?” 

“Well, unless you want a floating basket of your things following you around, you need to carry it...” 

“Oh! Well... I thought ... you could come as you are...”

“What?! Right now? You’re ok with me going In like this? You think everyone else will be too?.. no it’s too obvious that I look differently. Maybe another time...”

She just stood, taking him in. “I think it would be ok. But if you’re not ready I understand..”

He took a deep breath. Placed the basket under one arm. Stuck his chest out... “ok, let’s go. I can do it...” he started walking, leaving her behind. She had to run to catch up. Giving his hand a squeeze, she smiled up at him. she hoped it conveyed just how proud she was. 

When they entered the coffee shop Adrien’s confidence had vanished. He hunched behind the basket of things unsure of himself. Testing the waters. But no one paid him any mind. She sat him down at a table and asked if he wanted some tea. He nodded placing the basket on the table to help block him from view and looked around through his bangs. She walked away to place their order. 

He had been in the public before, but never exposed like this. He was always a spectator, never before seen. He felt uncomfortable, he was on high alert. Any second now someone would notice him and alert the entire surrounding public and then chaos would erupt. Mass panic with people running in the streets, dodging cars. A few brave civilians might even approach him and attempt to take him captive or hurt him. “Adrien...” she brought him from his thoughts. She placed a muffin in front of him. “I hope you like blueberry. They were out of chocolate chip..” she smiled sweetly at him. “You’re doing great!” She whispered into his ear and gave him a peck on the cheek and scratched the back of his hair a few times before her name was called to retrieve the remainder of her order. He watched her walk away. 

Out of the corner of his eye he could see something swaying... approaching. “I know what you are...” he turned his head to see a small boy staring him down. 

With panicked eyes he turned back to the plate in front of him. “I won’t tell anyone,” the boy continued.

“How do you know what I am?” He asked not turning away from the table. 

“Your mask gave it away... what’s your super hero name?”

Adrien’s eye brows knit together in question as he turned to look at the boy. There was silence for a moment as they just stared at each other. “I won’t tell anyone...” he continued.

Neither noticed when Marinette arrived. She set down their mugs and squatted down to be level with the boy. “he goes by Chat Noir, but you’ve got to promise to keep it a secret.”

“So he really a super hero?” He now stared at Marinette, glancing back at Adrien for a second. 

“He’s the best there has ever been... he actually just rescued me...” she said with a wink. And smiled looking up to see Adrien returning her smile. Adrien held a finger to his lips and directed a “shhh” to the boy. When his name was called from the door and he gave a nod and fluttered alway after his mom. 

Once they were left alone, they broke into giggles. “That was unsuspected... Chat Noir, huh?” he said.

“Yea, it sounds kinda sexy and mysterious...” she laughed. Then looking around that the other people around. “it seems either no one notices you at all, or you're written off as being eccentric...”. Taking a sip of her drink, with her other hand she grabbed his across the table. He shifted in his chair and sat a little taller.


	15. Chapter 15

Sabine didn’t know all the details, but she knew enough. She knew Adrien was born and raised at the facility having known no family, only the sterile environment of a lab. She knew not why he was so interesting to them, but figured it had something to do with his genetic tinkering. The branding on his face and hands were different, but knew it would be rude to enquire after them whether it be makeup or paint in an attempt to veil his identity or a birthmark of sorts. But seeing the boy in her backseat, she didn’t need to know more. He was polite, kind and she could see cared deeply for her daughter. She had been told he had been mistreated, and that was enough for her to lend a hand and get involved. She was surprised to see he was with Marinette after her discharge, but didn’t ask why.

She informed them that Plagg had taken up residence in her house quite well, as if he owned the place actually. But they were free to pick him up at any time, although Tom would be very disappointed. The two had formed a bond over the time they had spent together. 

Once arrived at her apartment building, Sabine refused to go up, stating she needed to be back at the bakery. Marinette took Adrien by the hand and led him up. 

They found their clothes from cabin washed and folded out on her coffee table. She grabbed his things and led him to the spare room. “This will be your room from now on, we can clear out my sewing things later” she placed his clothes into an empty drawer of a dresser. She proceeded to give him a tour of the apartment.

After introducing Adrien to takeout, they cuddled together on the couch. All too happy to do nothing at all, but be together again. She fell asleep with a smile, having dreamed of being in a stable situation with him for so long. 

She woke in her bed, cradled in his arms having not remembered going to sleep. She turned over and he nuzzled his face into her neck. “What are we doing today?”

“Well I was thinking we could go out, if that’s ok with you.... we could walk to my parents bakery and I could show you some of my favorite parts of the city...”

“That sounds great.” She could feel him smiling into her neck. 

• 

Upon entering the bakery, Marinette ran and gave her dad a hug while Adrien shyly stood just inside by the door. She called him over and the two were introduced. After trying a few pastries, with many compliments from Adrien, they took off for a walk around the city. They walked hand in hand as he genuinely asked questions about the sites. She took him to her favorite restaurant for lunch and passed by the grocery store for something for dinner. They walked around the city for a few hours more enjoying the view without incident. Ever step of the way Adrien seemed to gain more confidence. 

Once home Adrien prepped their next meal while Marinette checked her email. She was surprised to find a message. It was from a superior she had only heard of, the message explained his understanding of her being injured while on the job and her requirement for time off, but requesting her to contact him about her current placement within the organization. He was offering her a position within the city working on a team at the forefront of new discoveries. This seemed significantly less sketchy than her last job. She had assumed she was currently unemployed. Marinette was beyond pleased with this proposal and replied immediately about going in the following week. She closed her computer and jumped up and down with joy.

•

Although Adrien technically had a room, it was used mainly to house his clothes. He never slept a single night in it, choosing instead to sleep alongside Marinette. She loved having him close, so she ever sent him away, although she had her reservations about how in the grande scheme of things, it could cause problems. She felt slightly selfish, but chose not dwell on it. 

They fell into a rhythm. When not lounging around the house, they spent every second they could together. Plagg was even getting used to her apartment. And would follow them around from room to room. Living with Adrien was so easy. It was like he had always been in her life. This is where he belonged. He was taking to domestic life very well. He was beginning to anticipate tasks that needed to be accomplished. He was spoiling Marinette in ways she had never known before. Whether it be offering to wash her clothes with his or cleaning up the kitchen after cooking them a meal. She found herself rushing to do tasks just so he didn’t finish them all himself.

As easy as it would be to keep him all to herself, she felt she would be doing him an injustice to not share him with the world. She felt a responsibility to introduce him to everything he had missed. Wanting him to find fulfillment in life and not feel under appreciated or used for simply household chores. She remembered her parents mentioned in passing the need to hire help around the bakery and brought it up to him. He was more than thrilled to learn he could be of use and learn even more in an area that interested him. He was to start a short shift the following weekend. 

•

They hadn’t kissed again since they had been at her apartment. Yes, physical affection was there. But things had definitely slowed down and reverted a little since they had last seen each other. Marinette wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to jump into a relationship with someone so new to the world. He hadn’t been given the same opportunities, and she didn’t want to limit his options now that he had so many. It wouldn’t be fair to him if she would be the one to hold him back if he would otherwise chose to live his life differently. She didn’t want him to feel obligated to be with her because he relied so heavily on her. If he didn’t want to be with her romantically, she needed him to have the space to be honest and continue to still be friends. He never initiated anything more than kisses on the cheek and they never discussed it either way. She wasn't even sure if he understood of the implications their previous actions had. So although her feelings for him were very much the same, she held back, while Adrien wondered if she had changed her mind. 

• 

One morning she awoke first to find herself in his embrace. She opened her eyes to find a very unfamiliar face on the man laying next to her. She gasped causing him to startle and look around the room. After sitting up and finding nothing, he met her gaze. Those green eyes were the very same as Adrien’s, but what was missing was the black frame she had always known them in. He looked completely normal. Anything that had distinguished him from being abnormal to the general population was now missing. 

She sat, creeped forward and raised her hand to rub it across his face. “It’s.... gone.”

He looked at her questioningly. “It’s gone?”

“Yes...”

He reached for the bottom of his shirt and pulled it over his head. Looking down he saw nothing of the inky patches, but his chest was only the pale skin of his childhood. He looked up at Marinette for a second then tore off, sheets flying in the air, to the bathroom to look in the mirror at a face he hadn’t seen in years. 

When he flew back into the bedroom he tackled her down onto her back and they erupted in giggles. He was so happy to be able to mingle in public and not need to worry about being singled out. 

“How did this happen?” She asked while reaching up to wrap her arms around his back. 

He looked down at his chest and shrugged. Sitting up he made a face of concentration. And black circles appeared to be bubbling in a spot on his forearm. It traveled up his bicep and across his chest. “I can control it.” He laughed. She touched a finger to his chest and drew an X. It was marked in black, she laughed, then it disappeared. 

“Are you excited because you can blend in now?”

“I am, but I think I’m even more excited because I can be who I want to be. And it won’t be decided for me who I am. And how I’m perceived. Do you like it?”

“I think you’re beautiful in every form.” She smiled and put a hand to his cheek. He pressed into it and closed his eyes. 

Although he didn’t intentionally dawn his mask anymore, she laughed when she noticed his perfect handwriting on his forearm in a list of groceries, to do lists and reminders for the day.

•

The first day he was due to work at the bakery, he she woke up with him and walked him down the block to the entrance. Once inside she greeted her parents. Her dad quickly ushered Adrien to the back where he was given a tour, given an apron, and washed his hands. She waved goodbye and promised to be back later.

Once out, she ran a few errands that included buying Adrien more than just lounge clothes and material for a few projects she couldn’t wait to dress him in. Spoils in hand, she went home to start on his surprises. After a few hours when it was closing time at the bakery, she grabbed her shoes and keys and walked down. The door to the bakery was locked, but after knocking a smiling Adrien let her in. “How was your first day? I hope they didn’t work you too hard.”

“It was great! I learned so much. You dad even let me make a batch of cookies all by myself.” He smiled broadly.

“I’m so proud of you. I knew you would be a natural!” She squeezed his cheek lightly.

“Who was that, Z?” The deep voice of her father yelled from the back.

“It was Marinette.” She looked at him with questioning eyes. “He teased me about the first time we met, said I reminded him of zorro..” he whispered pointing to where the black mark had been across his eyes. 

“That is so much like my dad.. “ she rolled her eyes. 

“I kinda like it...” he laughed.

“Well don’t think I’m going to call you that.” She pressed his nose with her finger tip. “What can I do to help?” She was directed towards the few remaining chores and they were finished sooner than most days. When she was alone with either of her parents, they whispered that Adrien had exceeded their expectations, what he lacked in experience he made up in enthusiasm and was an exceptionally fast learner. They were more than pleased to take him on full time if he was interested. She smiled so happy to be able to expose him to a place he could flourish. 

• 

The following Monday, they woke up together both fluttering around the other in the apartment’s single bathroom getting ready for their work day. They walked hand in hand to the bakery where she grabbed a coffee and quick hug and kisses to her parents and Adrien before catching the metro to her new office for her first day. 

•

When she walked into her apartment, the smell of cooking food greeted her. She could have floated to the kitchen. While kicking off her shoes she was met by a very vocal cat weaving between her legs. She bent down to scratch his head for a second and called out to Adrien to notify him of her return. His head popped out of the kitchen and smiled widely. “How was your first day?”

“It was great. I’m so excited with the project and the team is very friendly..” She continued to explain what they were working on in detail as she opened a bottle of wine and poured them each a glass. “How was your day?” 

He proceeded to tell her stories of the shop, her parents, and of regular customers. They ate dinner and cleaned up. Then settled on the sofa to relax while their favorite new series played. Marinette leaned against Adrien’s side as his arm draped over her shoulder. She doodled on his arm with her finger leaving patterns in her wake. Long after Plagg left Adrien’s lap, and the two couldn’t stop yawning, they went off to bed. The following morning as they held hands on their way to work, she turned his arm over to reveal the previous nights doodles. He smiled, blushed, and dropped their arms back at their sides.

And thus was their new routine. Everyday when Marinette came home from work, he was trying a new recipe or fine tuning a reliable favorite. They chatted about their days events. Then settled down for the night within arms reach of each other. 

•

The weekends were reserved for sight seeing with nice dinners out, sometimes in the company of her friends. Although their relationship hadn’t been established as anything more than friendship, her friends had their suspicions. And looked on with knowing eyes. They had been forewarned of his unconventional upbringing and never asked questions about his past. The conversation instead focused on the present or the other individuals. Adrien quickly became one of their own, and was making individual friendships amongst the group. 

On the way home from one dinner after separating from their friends for the evening, they were walking along a sidewalk laughing about one of the stories that had been brought up. Behind them a stray dog ran into traffic. A car swerved and took the sidewalk avoiding the animal. Adrien grabbed her and pushed them into a space between two buildings out of harms way. The car came to a stop atop the sidewalk for a second, then suddenly sped off. He had her pinned to the wall, their wide eyes met. She could feel his chest rising, falling hard against her own. They tasted each other’s breath. Both realizing how close it had been to either of them being hit. How close they had been to possibly losing the other. Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes for a second too long. When they opened, he was gone. She was instead draped in black smoke. A moment later she felt herself begin to slip away. It felt very slow, but in reality happened much faster than she realized. From her legs to her head she felt herself vanish. It felt like stepping into a rainstorm. Tiny pieces all tingling at once. And then it was over. She couldn’t see as much as she was aware. She felt a distinction of herself. She was aware of him in the same way. Where each began and ended. She moved around him at first. Anticipating each other’s movements and following in dance. She closed the space between them, and met him there. It was all too alluring not to be interlaced with him. She needed to feel him in this space. In this form. They both hesitated. Stilling. Then she crossed it. One mass of vapor lay where before there was a clear distinction of two. They turned into themselves and formed a slowly circling cyclone. This feeling was new for both of them, yet it felt so right like it should have always been this way. It was so enticing to occupy the same space. Being joined as one entity. She was enchanted. Like a spell was cast over them. They stayed in this whirl until he slowly began to detach himself from her. When the smoke fell, Adrien was left standing directly in front of Marinette with little space between them. Both of their eyes closed. She lifted her head, and found his eyes. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, she rested her head on his chest. They stayed that way in silence. There were no words that could be said to do the moment justice. Until she caught a chill. 

Releasing her, he grabbed her hand and led her back onto the sidewalk towards their apartment. No one said a word as they walked in comfortable silence. She wasn’t sure if the intoxicated feeling was from sharing something so intimate with him or the transformation. 

•

Amongst living life within their new schedule, Adrien received a certified package in the mail. Upon opening it, he pulled out a letter and other official documents with his name. Amongst the documents were citizenship papers, and a diploma for an education he wasn't quite sure he had received. The letter was of an apology, and in an attempt to correct their error, a bank account was set up in his name with a generous monthly stipend. 

“Adrien, what did you do?” She laughed, “I’ve never heard of the government seeking anyone out to throw money at them.” 

He simply shrugged, “Threatened the right people?” He smirked at her. 

He was pleased, but assured Marinette he had no intention of quitting the bakery. Instead insisted on back paying his portion of the rent and other expenses. 

A financially stable Adrien showed to be a generous one. He kept fresh cut flowers on the kitchen table and anything that. reminded him of Marinette was bought and presented to her. So much so that she had to tell him she could only wear so many T-shirt’s and pajama pants, and he needed to stop for now. 

•

One morning as the sun was begging to creep into the room, she was awoken by Adrien shifting in his sleep. She opened her eyes to see him tossing uncomfortably. The black was back around his eyes. She slowly traced it, and softly called to him. Begging him to wake up from his nightmare. He slowly blinked while looking up at her through cracked lids. “Hey love, it’s ok...” she continued to trace the line across his face.

“It’s back? I’m sorry. I was there again. And you never came. I couldn’t get out this time. I’m sorry, I’ll make it go away.”

She cupped his cheeks and made him face her. “Don’t ever be sorry, I love this face. Any way you chose to wear it.” She kissed his cheek as he blushed. He was adorable that way, and she hadn’t realized just how much she missed seeing him in the way she initially met him.

“It’s too early to get up. Let’s try to go back to sleep” She scooted closer to him laying down by his side. She began drawing flowers and foliage on his chest and stomach. She added a ladybug being chased by a black cat that looked very much like Plagg.

She wasn’t surprised to see he had kept it the next night they lay down for bed. It was a little earlier than usual. But she didn’t care if they cuddled in the living room or in bed. It was all the same to her. He pulled her close and she lay her head on his chest while she opened a magazine she was browsing.

“Marinette, we should talk...” here it was. She knew this was coming. Even made a point to bring it up. It really was a while coming, she was just avoiding it. 

She swallowed. 

“I know what this is about. And I’ve been thinking about it too. You don’t need me anymore and I understand if you want some space. You’re financially independent now. And it’s not right that we play like a domestic couple, but only remain friends holding each other back.” She was speaking so fast, he didn’t have any time to cut her off. “And we can’t be together, I feel like I’m taking advantage of you. You’ve only ever been exposed to a small number of the population.... you shouldn’t take the first thing that is offered to you. What if there is someone else you would prefer but haven’t met yet. When you do meet her, I can’t be sharing a bed with you....You’re so kind and beautiful, you deserve so much. Maybe we should separate, you should move out so you can experience more of the world and decide what you want. I’ll still be in your life for support. But I can’t take advantage of your past situation by being with you. By keeping you for myself...” she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Tears were threatening to spill, but she didn’t want him to see it so she kept her gaze downwards.

“What? Is this what you honestly think?... I don’t see what the problem is. Are you telling me this because you don’t want to be with me? Please don’t think you are doing me any favors. If you don’t want to be with me, I’ll understand and walk away, but believe me that if we part, you’ll only be leaving me a broken man. There is no one I found ever want but you, Marinette.” He sat her across his lap so she straddled him. “You taught me love. Against all odds you pulled me from the darkness. Why would I need to find this with anyone else when I’m already in love with you?” Her mouth fell open in surprise. “I know I’m not experienced in so many ways, and I’m so sorry. You deserve so much more, and I’m trying hard to catch up.... but what I can offer you is my heart... in its entirety. I’ve seen your good and bad and you mine. I’ve been in your head....” he gave a laugh. “I know you better than anyone ever has. You’re as beautiful in here as you are out her.” He placed a hand to her head then kissed her cheek. “And I know there’s no one else for me. You can leave if that’s what you want, but please don’t think you are doing me a favor. I’ll be alone forever. In all the world, there’s no one else I would chose to be with. I’ve seen the best the world has to offer, and it’s you... I know I don’t need you. I could survive without you. I would live. But I want you.”

“I just want what’s best for you.”

“Stop thinking that is not you.”

“I need to know, do you want to be with me?”

“More than anything...”

“I do too...”Overcome with emotions, a few tears fell from her eyes. He wiped them away. “I was alone for so long, but you were worth the wait... I know I have so much to learn but what I do know with absolutely certainty are my feelings for you. Every relationship has its risks. Take a chance on us.” He leaned forward. “I’ll Choose you everyday. I promise to show you just exactly what I mean.” 

She smiled “if your past promises are anything to go by... I don’t know....” she joked with a tiny laugh and mischievous grin. “your promises don’t have the best track record” 

He pulled her flush against his chest laughing “ I had better start right now then.” When their laughter subsided he looked down at her lips. He met her eyes then his gaze traveled down again. He tenderly pressed his lips against hers for a sweet kiss. When they broke, she sat still to commit the moment to memorize. 

With her eyes still closed, “On the condition neither of us make any more decisions based on what we think is best for the other without communicating first.” She opened her eyes, looking for confirmation.

He nodded in agreement. 

“And don’t for a second think less of yourself. I’ve been in love with you before you even had a face.” She laughed. “I don’t know what I did to deserve to have you in my life.” She leaned in for another kiss. “you don’t have to prove yourself to me, don’t rush your progress, you’re exactly where you need to be... there’s no place I would rather be than by your side.” She leaned her forehead against his. He leaned forward for a quick peck and smiled at her. “So if you don’t want to move out. What did you want to talk about?”

“I’ve been looking into going to school for culinary arts. I want to continue working in the bakery part time, but I would like to try out school to learn as much as i can. Then figure out where to go from there. And I want you to be with me every step of the way.”

“Deal. Have I told you that I’m so proud of you?” She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. 

“Not today” he kissed her, she leaned in closer to deepen it. He moaned into the kiss.

“I still regret I have so much to learn...” he said softly.

“Well... you do have my permission to read my mind if you need any references...” she said with a wink. “Tell me what you want...”

He closed his eyes and a whine escaped his throat. “I have an undeniable urge to claim you. Take you as my own...”

“Show me...” she whispered into his ear.

He turned her so he hovered over her. Smiling down at her. She was distracted to see in his perfect handwriting an elaborate M written on his chest over his heart. She traced it with her finger. He took her finger into his hand and kissed it. Then moved on to kids her neck and any other place she would think. From that point forward he moved with ease and confidence. 

Marinette didn’t need the ability to read minds to know what he would like. And every small gesture was met with great appreciation. With love.


End file.
